wex definitions

According to 17 USC § 101 a widow is a person whose spouse died during their marriage and has not since remarried. Also known as a surviving spouse.

See: elective share

[Last reviewed in July of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team] 

According to 17 USC § 101 a widower is a person whose spouse died during their marriage. Also known as a surviving spouse.

Wildcard exemption is one of a few exemptions the Federal government and state governments allow in bankruptcy that protects some of the debtor’s personal assets from creditors.

A wildcat strike is one that is undertaken by employees without the consent of their union. Wildcat strikes are typically done with little notice or warning, making them particularly powerful because there is a higher likelihood that an employer will be caught off guard.

"Wilful killing" is a war crime as codified in the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court. A prosecution for wilful killing must show the following elements:

A will is a legal document that states a testator’s wishes and instructions for managing and distributing their estate after death. In contrast, intestate succession is passing the property of the decedent according to the State’s intestacy statute instead of a will.

A will contest is a probate proceeding where interested parties dispute the validity of a will.

Though transfers by will are normally donative, it is possible to use a will to form an obligatory, legally enforceable contract.

• trusts and estates

The will execution ceremony is the procedure by which a testator makes known how they want their property to be handled after their death through their will.  The execution ceremony has formal requirements such as the signature, attestation and

• trusts and estates