DEADHAND CONTROL

deadhand control.The convergence of various legal doctrines that allow a decedent’s control

of wealth to influence the conduct of a living beneficiary; esp., the use of executory interests that

vest  at  some  indefinite  and  remote  time  in  the  future  to  restrict  alienability  and  to  ensure  that

property remains in the hands of a particular family or organization. • Examples include the lawful

use of conditional gifts, contingent future interests, and the Claflin-trust principle. The rule against

perpetuities restricts  certain  types  of  deadhand  control,  which  is sometimes  referred  to  either  as

the  power  of the  mortua  manus (dead hand) or as trying to retain property in  mortua  manu. See

RULE AGAINST PERPETUITIES. [Blacks Law 8th]