Perkins v. Iglehart
Maryland Court of Appeals
39 A.2d 672 (1944)
Lucy Dun's will placed her residuary estate in trust for her son William Rucker for life, then one-third to Rucker's 'widow' for her life or until remarriage, with that share then passing to Rucker's children and their descendants; Rucker was engaged to Sally Woods when the will was executed and married her 21 days later, but Woods died before Rucker, who remarried (his second wife also predeceased him). The trustee sought construction of the will, and the executors (defendants, including Perkins) argued the eventual gift to Rucker's descendants violated the rule against perpetuities; the circuit court agreed, finding a partial intestacy, and the executors appealed.
Whether a bequest in a will is void under the rule against perpetuities if the gift might not vest within 21 years after the death of a person who was alive when the will was executed.