Definition of Expilatio
In the civil law, the offense of unlawfully appropriating goods belonging to a succession. It is not technically theft (furtum) because such property no longer belongs to the decedent, nor to the heir, since the latter has not yet taken possession. In the common law, the grant of letters testamentary, or letters of administration, relates back to the time of the death of the testator or intestate; so that the property of the estate is vested in the executor or administrator from that period.
That's the definition of Expilatio in Black's Law Dictionary 6th Edition. Courtesy of Cekhukum.com.
