Dispute over academic degree: widow loses in front of the OLG Karlsruhe!

On January 9, 2025, the Rheinpfalz In the southern wine road, which raises the question of the heirs of a deceased Swiss woman. So far, the circumstances of the death of this woman are unclear, as well as the situation of the assets left behind. The authorities are working on clarifying these questions and examining corresponding inheritance claims.

In another case, the Haufe The problem of the entry of academic degree in death. This topic was decided by the Higher Regional Court (OLG) Karlsruhe, which rejected the application of a widow to have the academic title of her deceased husband entered in his death certificate. The husband died in Karlsruhe in April 2009, and the district court of Karlsruhe had initially met the widow's wish.

legal background

The Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court referred to the civil status law, which has been in force since January 1, 2009. According to § 31 PStG, only the core data such as the name, place of birth and date of birth may be entered in the dying register. The aim of this regulation is to tighten the registration data and increase the protection of personal data. In this context, the OLG found that academic degrees are not part of the name or the job title, which excludes their entry in the death certificate.

The decision of the OLG Karlsruhe raised the previous habitual law to mention academic degrees in death certificates. It was also emphasized that a claim to the registration cannot be granted in the law that violates the data protection regulations. Constitutional concerns were considered harmless, since the right to free vocational representation and the right of personal rights of the deceased are not affected. Thus, the widow received no entitlement to the registration of the academic degree in the death certificate (OLG Karlsruhe, decision of 11.12.2012, 11 WX 42/10).