The Uniform Simultaneous Death Act is a law used in some states such as Illinois, Alaska, and Iowa to regulate the distribution of assets in cases where two or more people die within a certain time period. Specifically, it applies in situations where two or more people die within a 120-hour period without a valid will.

The fundamental purpose of this act is to provide a solution to ambiguous inheritage issues that may arise when two or more people pass away at the same time. When individuals die together without a will, voiding the idea of any legal declarations of how estates should be distributed, the Uniform Simultaneous Death Act seeks to resolve these issues.

The Act assumes that all parties intended to claim the estate and, as such, makes it more difficult for family to contest a will because it stipulates that assets from both estates should be distributed evenly among all beneficiaries, according to their respective legal shares. This creates a simpler, more cost-effective process than having to manage separate estate settlements for each deceased person.

In addition, without the Uniform Simultaneous Death Act, two parallel probate court proceedings may be needed to legally transfer the assets from the deceased peoples’ estates. This can involve a significant amount of resources such as time, legal fees and court costs. By implementing the Act, this double administrative expense is bypassed, and the motions of probate court can be concluded in one swift action.

In sum, the Uniform Simultaneous Death Act is a helpful legal tool used inseveral states to help overcome the issue of simultaneous deaths in which two or more people are involved. It makes several assumptions to ensure that the legal inheritance of those involved is distributed evenly, eliminating any double costs and streamlining the process. Ultimately, this law is beneficial in certain cases, providing a more straightforward, economic way to manage estates when two or more people simultaneously pass away.