Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

Rule in Shelley's Case

Property. The rule that if - in a single grant - a freehold estate is given to a person and a remainder is given to the person's heirs, the remainder belongs to the named person and not the heirs, so that the person is held to have a fee simple absolute. ( The rule, which dates from the 14th century but draws its name from the famous 16thcentury case, has been abolished in most states. Wolfe u. Shelley, 76 Eng. Rep. 206 (K.B. 1581).