Minas Gerais Court authorizes death certificate rectification

The 7th Civil Chamber of the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG) has authorized the rectification of a deceased woman's death certificate to remove a reference to a non-existent stable union.

The decision, which overturned a lower court ruling in Belo Horizonte, was prompted by a request from the woman's brother. He argued that the deceased had remained single throughout her life and that the inclusion of a partner was factually incorrect. Evidence presented showed that the alleged partner was married to someone else and was under legal interdiction and the care of his own wife at the time of the woman's death.

Justice Peixoto Henriques, the rapporteur, stated that the Public Records Law (Law No. 6.015/1973) does not restrict corrections to basic data like birth dates or parentage. Instead, the law aims to “guarantee the principle of truthfulness, which governs the public records system, ensuring that entries faithfully reflect factual and legal reality.” The rectification aims to prevent improper legal, succession, and patrimonial consequences.