Opinion ID: 2402072
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The circuit court's opinion

Text: In dismissing petitioner's complaint the Circuit Court for Prince George's County found no merit in petitioner's argument, declaring, As the land was utilized, the argument of abandonment and reverter raised by Mrs. Selig in addressing whether the revised or original Md. Trans. Code Ann. § 8-309 controls is moot. Instead, the circuit court focused its opinion on the Rule against Perpetuities, stating: The Rule against Perpetuities voids those conditions precedent that have no time limitations. Those conditions are struck from the contract and it is as if the contract was a fee simple absolute and those conditions never existed. In this instance, the two conditions precedent violated the Rule against Perpetuities because the parties did not know and could not determine if the land would be used or abandoned within a life in being plus 21 years from the implementation of the Contract. To counteract this violation, the court would have to imply a reasonable time limit to the conditions.... [I]mplying a reasonable time limit is not possible when the conditions are outside the control of the parties. The Rule against Perpetuities has been violated. [Alterations added.] The circuit court noted also that petitioner's request to reacquire the property in light of the fact that the reconveyance would net her only 4.0740 acres amounted to petitioner's having factually conceded that some portion of the original conveyance had been used.