Relation shall never make good a void grant or devise of the party.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) A void grant or devise cannot be rescued by the doctrine of relation — if the original instrument was void ab initio, no subsequent event can breathe life into it.

Where this applies

• A grantor conveys land he does not own, and later acquires title; the grantee argues the title should relate back, but the court holds that relation cannot cure a grant that was void from the start.
• A testator devises property he never legally possessed; after his death, the property enters his estate by another route, but the court rules the original devise was void and relation cannot save it.
• A government issues a license that was unauthorized at the time of issuance; even after the authorizing statute is passed, the court holds the original license void because relation cannot breathe life into a void act.