Terms Used In California Codes > Health and Safety Code > Division 31 > Part 7 > Chapter 1 - Legislative Findings and Intent

• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Devisee: means any person designated in a will to receive a devise. See California Probate Code 34
• Fiduciary: means personal representative, trustee, guardian, conservator, attorney-in-fact under a power of attorney, custodian under the California Uniform Transfer To Minors Act (Part 9 (commencing with Section 3900) of Division 4), or other legal representative subject to this code. See California Probate Code 39
• Heir: means any person, including the surviving spouse, who is entitled to take property of the decedent by intestate succession under this code. See California Probate Code 44
• interested person: includes any of the following:

  California Probate Code 48

• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Health and Safety Code 23
• Trust: includes the following:

  California Probate Code 82

• Will: includes codicil and any testamentary instrument which merely appoints an executor or revokes or revises another will. See California Probate Code 88