Ademption by satisfaction

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It has been suggested that this article be merged into Ademption. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2025.

Wills, trusts and estates
Part of the common law series
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Estate administration
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Related topics
Advance directive (Living will) Blind trust Forced heirship Totten trust
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Ademption by satisfaction, also known as satisfaction of legacies, is a common law doctrine that determines the disposition of property under a will when the testator has made lifetime gifts to beneficiaries named in the will. Under the doctrine, a gift that the maker of the will (the testator) gives during his lifetime to a named beneficiary of the will is treated as an advance payment of that beneficiary's inheritance.^[1] If the probate court determines that the testator intended the lifetime gift to satisfy a bequest under the will, the amount of the lifetime gift is deducted from the amount that the beneficiary would have received under the will.^[2]