HRS §560:2-710
Abolishing the Worthier Title Rule
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗This section gets rid of an old legal rule called the 'worthier title' doctrine. Now, when a legal document names someone's heirs or relatives as beneficiaries, it does not automatically mean the property goes back to the original owner.
everyone
The statute, as written — Worthier-title doctrine abolished
A copy, taken August 20, 2026. The version published by the Legislature is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
The doctrine of worthier title is abolished as a rule of law and as a rule of construction. Language in a governing instrument describing the beneficiaries of a disposition as the transferor's "heirs", "heirs at law", "next of kin", "distributees", "relatives", or "family", or language of similar import, does not create or presumptively create a reversionary interest in the transferor.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.