Someone who lives after the occurrence of an event that entitles them to seek a distribution of property or income (e.g., a surviving spouse).
family & personal matters
survivors benefits
Survivors benefits are a sum of money paid to the surviving spouse and dependents of an eligible deceased worker. Beneficiaries include widows, widowers (and divorced widows and widowers), children, and dependent parents. A portion of the...
survivorship
See: Right of survivorship
[Last updated in October of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]
temporary restraining order (TRO)
Temporary restraining orders (TROs) are a type of short-term injunction issued to prevent a party from taking a certain action until the court is able to issue a more enduring order, such as a preliminary injunction. TROs are a type of...
TRO
See: temporary restraining order
[Last updated in August of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]
uncontested divorce
An uncontested divorce is a divorce proceeding where the court formally grants the requested divorce without the need to go through significant portions of the adversarial litigation process. In short, an uncontested divorce is when the...
undue burden
An undue burden arises if the purpose or effect of the state restriction on abortion has placed a substantial obstacle on a someone seeking an abortion of a non-viable fetus. If the person seeking an abortion of a non-viable fetus can prove...
Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA)
A uniform act that, as of September 11, 2009, has been adopted by every state except Massachusetts and Vermont and is the vehicle through which foreign child custody judgments are enforced. The act is designed to prevent jurisdictional forum shopping...
Uniform Premarital Agreement Act
Uniform Premarital Agreement Act is a multistate law enacted to enforce consistency in prenuptial agreements from state to state. Based on the applicable laws of that state, not only does the Act allow the relevant parties to choose a...
visitation
The right of a non-custodial parent who is a party to a divorce or separation to visit with their children. In such cases, some courts look to the best interests of the child. Parents have due process rights to determine visitation by non-parents. In...