''Ex demissione'' (abbreviated ''ex dem.'') is
Legal Latin
A number of Latin terms are used in law, legal terminology and legal maxims. This is a partial list of these terms, which are wholly or substantially drawn from Latin, or anglicized Law Latin.
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Common law
Civil law
Ecclesia ...
meaning "upon the
demise
Demise is an Anglo-Norman legal term (from French ''démettre'', from Latin ''dimittere'', to send away) for the transfer of an estate, especially by lease. It has an operative effect in a lease, implying a covenant "for quiet enjoyment".
The ...
" in which "demise" is used in its sense meaning "lease" or "transfer".
The phrase formed part of the title of the old action of
ejectment
Ejectment is a common law term for civil action to recover the possession of or title to land. It replaced the old real actions and the various possessory assizes (denoting county-based pleas to local sittings of the courts) where boundary dispu ...
.
Thus, a case titled
Jones v. Doe ex dem. Smith would signify that the nominal defendant, Doe, is the hypothetical person holding the estate "on the demise" of, i.e. by a lease from, real defendant Smith. Jones is the plaintiff.
References
Latin legal terminology
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