sequestration
noun
Sequestration — the seizure of property held until a debt is satisfied
Definition
Seizing property that belongs to someone else and holding it until profits pay the demand for which it was seized
In depth
Sequestration is the act of seizing property belonging to someone else and holding it until profits pay the underlying demand, a legal remedy in which assets are placed under custody, often by court order, pending resolution of a dispute or satisfaction of a debt. The word also carries an extended sense in legal proceedings, describing the isolation of a jury from outside influence during a trial.
Origin
The word descends from Latin sequestrare, to give up for safekeeping, related to sequester, a depositary or trustee. That underlying sense of neutral, third-party custody, rather than outright confiscation, distinguishes sequestration from harsher forms of seizure, the property held in trust pending resolution rather than permanently transferred to a new owner.
Usage examples
"The court ordered sequestration of the disputed assets until the underlying lawsuit could be fully resolved."
"Sequestration of the jury became necessary given the case's extraordinary and pervasive media coverage."
"Years of sequestration left the property in considerable disrepair by the time the dispute was finally settled."
How to use it
Sequestration is precise legal vocabulary with two distinct applications, property seizure pending dispute resolution and jury isolation during trial, with context generally clarifying which specific legal concept is intended.
Related concepts
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