Slayer Rule Maxim

The Slayer Rule Maxim refers to the legal principle that prohibits a person from inheriting or receiving benefits from a decedent if that person is found to have unlawfully killed the decedent. This maxim aims to prevent individuals from benefiting from their wrongful acts.

The Slayer Rule has its roots in common law and is deeply intertwined with principles of equity and justice, which forbid inequitable outcomes resulting from harmful actions. This principle evolved as a response to societal norms that reject the notion of allowing a murderer to profit from their crime.

In modern law, the Slayer Rule is applied in probate courts to disallow the killer from inheriting the victim's estate or benefits from their will or trust. This principle is commonly invoked in cases involving homicides, where the legal determination of culpability results in the application of this rule at the level of inheritance and estate distribution.

• A wife kills her husband and attempts to claim the life insurance policy; she is barred from receiving the benefits under the Slayer Rule.
• An individual is convicted of murdering their parent and subsequently is denied inheritance rights to the parent's estate.

• Gunn v. Gunn, 84 N.E. 2d 697 (Mass. 1949)