Law Commons^™

The Property Of Death, Tanya K. Hernandez

Faculty Scholarship

Who owns death and why do we care? The question of who owns death is implicitly deliberated each time a legal dispute ensues over who can direct the manner of a decedent's burial. There is no definitive legal rule as to who has the right to control the disposal of mortal remains because there is no agreement as to who owns a body after death or whether the cadaver is subject to traditional property rights. Although most states have probate laws and health codes which authorize a decedent (or in the alternative, a priority list of family members) to direct …