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Intestacy

A legal term that refers to the Estate of a deceased person who died without a Last Will & Testament.

A person who dies in this situation is said to have "died intestate" and state law will determine how the deceased's Estate is distributed to Heirs (typically surviving family).

The laws that govern this process are known as Intestate Succession.

This is in contrast to when a person dies with a validated Will, known as Testacy.