Question

Mike has a car accident and Maria saves his life. To show his appreciation, Mike gives Maria a life estate in one of the homes he owns. Maria lives there for a while and then accepts a job in another state so she gives the property to her sister Jackie in a lawful transaction. Jackie owns the property until:

Answer 1

Jackie owns the property until Maria dies

Step-by-step explanation:

In this specific scenario, Jackie owns the property until Maria dies. That is because, in common law and statutory law, a life estate also known as life tenancy is defined as the ownership of land for the duration of a person's life. Therefore since Mike granted life estate to Maria and not Jackie, the land is legally Maria's to do as she wishes up until the moment of her death. Once this comes to pass the land ownership is returned to Mike.