10) Future Flashcards
reformation/cy pres
court changes “offending language” to make conveyance good
vested remainder– is there a reversion?
NO – o loses reversion when it vests
wait and see
wait and see if future interest vests w/in 21 year period (vs speculating about whether or not it will). If yes good, if not destroyed
life in being
persons named in the conveyance or intervening generations(?), alive and ascertained at time of the dash “measuring life” or “validating life”
subject to condition subsequent
CONDITIONAL WORDS O (or whoever has the right) has to affirmatively enter to get it back – reversion not automatic!!
consent to sell clauses – enforceability
usu not enforced “repugnant to the fee”
shifting executory interest
shifts from someone else (not from O), and comes into being bc it cut short a prior estate O to A, but if ceases to be used as a school during A’s lifetime, then to B B’s e.i. is shifting bc comes from A. sometimes the unborn children have it
normal intestate hierarchy
spouse (and kids from other marriage) kids parents siblings certain other relatives
cy pres in trusts – how court decides if it’s necessary or not (old vs new way)
–used to be burden on party seeking reformation to prove “general charitable intent” but now more common –older cases, had to be basically impossible to achieve original purpose of trust but now often ok if just broadly impractical, wasteful, unreasonable
rule of convenience
class closes when prior estate ends (eg life estate holder dies) – people who would’ve vested later don’t get any property interest
life estate per autre vie
life estate measured by someone else’s life: O to A for the life of B. B is the measuring life.
future interests in grantOR
reversion possibility of reverter right of entry
no relatives to inherit?
property escheats to the state
life estate: duty: voluntary waste
acts of COmission to damage property (cutting down trees, demolish the house)
life estate: duty to keep property in repair: 3 kinds of waste to not commit
1) voluntary 2) permissive 3) ameliorative
restraints on alienation (CL vs now)
CL per se void, now: subject to general test of reasonableness. BUT total restraint on alienation generally void.
reasonableness test for restraints on alienation
weigh harm of restraint vs utility of enforcing
F: charitable trust to create public park for whites only, H: can’t apply cy pres when clear violation of testator’s intent, so trust fails (partly bc so specific) dissent: state action $ used for park
Evan v. Abney
term of years: reverter?
has REVERSION IN O, unless otherwise specified
4 present possessory interests in property
1) FSA 2) Fee tail 3) life estate 4) term of years
Northwest Real Estate Co v. Serio
F: deed says can’t sell or rent it for 5 yrs w/o consent of old owner H: void as repugnant to FS
vested
certain who will get the future interest
O to A for life
life estate
trusts–def
grantor conveys property to trustee, for benefit of beneficiary – trustee has legal title but bound to use the trust for the beneficiary
life estate: ameliorative waste
improvements that may improve value of property but remainderman dn nec want (destroys house and makes mansion) NOTE: this was actionable at common law but less favored now
W reasonableness test for restraints on alienation
weigh the utility of the restraint against the injurious consequences of enforcing the restraint (this conveyance and future precedent)
steps to analyzing present estates and future interests (6)
1) what is the PPI? 2) what limitations are there (if any)? 3) is there a future interest? 4) future interest enforceable? 5) has trigger event occurred? 6) what is legal effect?
RAP modern reforms (3)
(only if told we’re using in W): 1) wait and see 2) reformation/cy pres 3) uniform/statutory rules
FSSEL and event could take place years from now
ex: O-A+ heirs as long as used as school, otherwise C+heirs what if they stop using it as a school after 100 years…C’s interest could come into being after A’s life + 21 years
fee simple subject to executory limitation
future interests belong to someone other than the grantor doesn’t matter if the language sounds like FSD or FSSCS can be from gap in seisen
Violates RAP: age is a condition precedent, parent alive, age greater than 21+ gestation
contingent remainder to unnamed grantee who will take at an age greater than 21, RAP is violated if grantee’s parent is still alive O to A for life, then to B’s first child to reach 25 and heirs
FSD vs FSSCS vs FSSEL
FSD: condition in favor of O FSSCS: condition for O if O retakes FSSEL: condition in favor of 3rd party
contingent remainder
haven’t vested bc one of the 2 conditions not met. either: we dnk who grantee is OR condition not satisfied yet
precatory terms
no legal effect, just show intent
McIntyre v. Scarbrough
F: D had life estate and lived on land in mobile home, sold land to P. Ps sue for waste. H: Life estate holder has to leave bc waste extreme (dn pay taxes or maintain property) N: unusual result – usu need acts of commission for extreme remedies, + principle against forfeiture
H: RAP applies to option to purchase commercial property
Symphony Space Inc v. Pergola Properties Inc
life estate: who pays mortgage?
LE holder: pays interest remainderman: principal
fee tail ex
O to A “and the heirs of his body”
Rule Against Perpetuities
No interest is valid unless it must vest, if at all, w/in a life in being + 21 years + period of gestation
contingent remainder examples (3)
child (none born yet) condition not sure to meet terms of art like “widow” (who will be the widow?)
2 other obsolete CL doctrines re transfer of property
1) Rule in Shelley’s case 2) doctrine of worthier title
joint tenancy: encumbrance exception
ok unilateral encumbrance but can’t encumber cotenant’s right of survivorship
presumption against future interests
and in favor of FSAs
remainder
follows naturally from the prior estate – waits until prior estate ends (eg term of years, life estate) – dn terminate prior estate
exectuory interests: 2 kinds
shifting springing
contingent remainder often triggered by one of these (4)
1) birth 2) age 3) actiity/stated condition 4) key words (heir, widow)
subject to condition subsequent: who gets what
A: present possessory interest O: right of entry
what we need to know by the time of the life in being + 21 years
don’t care if they GET it by then just if we will KNOW that they will, or that no one will. We need to know WHEN we’ll know: exactly who they’ll get the interest, that they’ll get, what % they’ll get. INCLUDES: all conditions will have occurred and no more people can be added to class of recipient
devisees
inhereit under a will
selling life estate?
yes, you can if A sells to X, then X has what A had X has life estate per autre vie – A remains the measuring life
VR subject to partial divestment: def
we know who will have some of the interests, but something could happen in the future to make the interests shrink O to A for life then to B’s children in equal shares C is a child but more could be born subject to rule of convenience
springing executory interest
interest in favor of a 3rd person where there has been a gap in ownership from the prior estate FROM GRANTEE (gets possession after natural termination of prior estate)
RAP could apply to: (4) (and one is a quasi-exception)
1) contingent remainders 2) executory interests 3) vested remainder subject to partial divestment *usu not an issue now bc rule of convenience* 4) options to buy and rights of first refusal
term of years ex.
O to A for 10 years
contingent remainder – is there a reversion? if unstated
every contingent remainder has a reversion in O, even if not stated UNTIL IT VESTS. THEN O LOSES REVERSION.
life estate: duties of life tenant: can’t injure or dispose of property to injury of rights of remaindermen – def
ok to use for LE’s benefit as has been used before. If open mine, ok for LE to mine and take the minerals. But if no previous mine, not ok start one
RAP DN APPLY TO: (3)
interests vested at time conveyance made, ie: 1. all PPIs 2. all interests of grantor (reversion, possibility of reverter, right of entry) 3. vested remainders absolute/total divestment
O to A
fee simple absolute
group gift
ex: O to A for life, then to B’s children to reach 25 bc unborn w shifting executory interest W HAS RULE OF CONVENIECE..vested members will take
life estate: duty to keep property in repair: exception/limitation
dnh to improve value of property