rule in Shelley's case

rule in Shel·​ley's case

-ˈshe-lēz-

often capitalized R

: a former common-law rule that converted a life estate of an ancestor into an estate in fee and destroyed the remainder to the heirs that was created in the same instrument as that creating the life estate see also executory interest at interest sense 1

Word History

Etymology

from Wolfe v. Shelley, a 1581 English case invoking the rule