The doctrine that allows disposal of property according to an external event or act is known as?

The doctrine that allows disposal of property according to an external event or act is known as?

• A. Incorporation by reference
• B. Revocation by destruction
• C. Lost wills doctrine
• D. Acts of independent significance

Answer: (D)

Acts of independent significance is the idea that a testamentary disposition can be triggered by an external event or act that has meaning apart from the will itself. Because the event carries its own significance, the testator can tie a gift to that event and have the transfer occur when the event happens, even if the will’s language is broad. For example, a will might provide that a bequest goes to the person who is the president of a local club on the date of the testator’s death, or to the owner of a certain property at that time. The trigger is an outside act or occurrence with independent significance, not something the will would cover on its own. This is different from incorporation by reference (bringing in terms from another document), revocation by destruction (how a will is canceled), or the lost wills doctrine (what happens when a will is mislaid). Those concepts involve other issues, whereas acts of independent significance allow external events to shape who takes the property.

Acts of independent significance is the idea that a testamentary disposition can be triggered by an external event or act that has meaning apart from the will itself. Because the event carries its own significance, the testator can tie a gift to that event and have the transfer occur when the event happens, even if the will’s language is broad. For example, a will might provide that a bequest goes to the person who is the president of a local club on the date of the testator’s death, or to the owner of a certain property at that time. The trigger is an outside act or occurrence with independent significance, not something the will would cover on its own.

This is different from incorporation by reference (bringing in terms from another document), revocation by destruction (how a will is canceled), or the lost wills doctrine (what happens when a will is mislaid). Those concepts involve other issues, whereas acts of independent significance allow external events to shape who takes the property.