Title: Matter of Will of Wasson

State: mississippi

Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court

Document:

562 So. 2d 74 (1990) In the MATTER OF the Last WILL and Testament of Jones I. Wasson, Deceased and In the matter of the Last Will and Testament of Laura G. Wasson, Deceased. William C. GALLASPY v. Sara F. Gallaspy, Executrix. No. 07-CA-59148. Supreme Court of Mississippi. April 25, 1990. *75 F. Marvin Morris, III, Morris & Sakalarios, Hattiesburg, Samuel S. Creel, Jr., Brandon, for appellant. Frank D. Montague, Montague, Pittman & Schwartz, Hattiesburg, for appellee. Before ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., and PITTMAN and BLASS, JJ. ROY NOBLE LEE, Chief Justice, for the Court: William C. Gallaspy has appealed from the judgment of the Chancery Court of Forest County, Mississippi, holding that a joint will instrument dated February 21, 1984, purportedly executed by Jones I. Wasson and Laura G. Wasson, husband and wife, was their true and accurate Last Will and Testament, dismissing the contest of William C. Gallaspy to said will instrument, and ratifying and confirming the decrees admitting said instrument to probate. He assigned the following errors in the trial below: Jones I. Wasson and Laura G. Wasson moved from New Jersey to Hattiesburg when Mr. Wasson retired from Exxon where he had worked as a chemist. The Wassons, who had no children of their own, established and maintained a close relationship with Mrs. Wasson's younger (by 25 years) brother Joe D. Gallaspy, his wife, Sara, and family. Both Joe and Sara were attorneys and were helpful to the Wassons in some aspects of the management of their investments and other business and in the day-to-day management of the household. The Wassons were, however, very private people who never disclosed their entire financial condition even though they had accumulated a sizable estate. Mr. Wasson was an intelligent, quiet, reserved man who enjoyed gardening in his retirement and who rarely left home "except *76 to go to church or maybe to the shopping center." While Mr. Wasson was introverted, he was also an independent man who "would speak up when necessary" and who was not susceptible to the influence of others. He was in apparent good health and exhibited no mental confusion prior to his last illness. Laura G. Wasson was a well-educated, highly intelligent, strong-willed, candid, inflexible, frugal woman who might have sought the advice of others but who "followed [her] own dictates." In 1978, the Wassons executed a joint will in which they named Joe D. Gallaspy as Executor and Sara F. Gallaspy as Executrix in the event that Joe could or would not serve. In that will, they provided that on the death of one of them, the survivor would take all property owned by either of them. After some small bequests of personal property, they made specific bequests of $5,000 each to four churches and one college; and two bequests of $500 each. The rest and residue was to be distributed as follows: sixteen and two-thirds percent to Joe D. Gallaspy; eight and one-third percent to Gladys F. Gallaspy and if Joe and Gladys should not survive them, to their issue per stirpes; eight and one-third percent to Carolyn Gallaspy Yelverton and Glenn T. Gallaspy, Jr. (equally); sixteen and two-thirds percent to Allene Gallaspy Blair; thirty percent to Thelma Wasson Owen; and twenty percent to Hazel Wasson Gilliland[1]. The contestant to the present will, William D. Gallaspy, was not named as a beneficiary. In 1971, the Wassons had executed general powers of attorney naming Joe and Sara Gallaspy as their attorneys in fact. Until his death in 1983, Joe, who was Chief of the Estate Tax Division of the Mississippi Tax Commission, was involved in tending to some of the Wassons' investments. On the day of Joe's funeral, Laura Wasson asked if Sara Gallaspy would tend to her investments. Sara Gallaspy suggested that Laura get help from Sara's son, David, who held a degree in banking and finance from the University of Southern Mississippi. Sara Gallaspy's testimony of the events of that day addressed her inability to assist at the time: "I was certainly emotionally devastated and I couldn't even think of her stock being important to me that day, and just told her she'd have to get David, and she was very fond of David and trusted David, and I told her she'd just have to rely on him to help for the time." After Joe's death, the Gallaspy's son, David, was given a general power of attorney which he exercised in dealing with investments. He handled some certificates of deposit and later, after Mrs. Wasson broke her hip, paid some of her bills, made her bank deposits, and kept records on other investments. Sara Gallaspy was much more involved in direct care she helped the Wassons find and interview domestic employees, cashed checks for the domestic employees to use in purchasing groceries and medicine etc. for the Wassons, took the Wassons for medical appointments, and took them shopping. The nature and frequency help. Despite the fact the Wassons were both legally blind, they continued to be able to pay some of their bills and to keep up with their business. After Laura Wasson broke her hip, she was even more restricted in her activities and more in need of the day-to-day help which Sara provided. Sara never exercised her power of attorney except to sign for hospital or nursing home admissions. Sara never knew the nature and extent of the Wasson's financial holdings. Sara did not prepare the powers of attorney nor did she know by whom they were prepared. At some point after Joe's death, Laura Wasson asked Sara to update the joint will. Two of Laura Wasson's brothers who had been in the prior will had died and she wanted to change her will to increase her bequests to the churches and college. Sara suggested that Laura have someone in her church change the will but Laura wanted Sara to do it. Laura gave Sara the 1978 will along with some handwritten directions and newspaper clippings. Sara changed the 1978 will in accordance with Laura's instructions with one notable exception. *77 Laura instructed her that the bequest to Joe be changed to be equally divided among Sara and two sons, Jody and David. Sara took herself out of that bequest. The 1984 will as finally drafted devised $10,000 each to the same four churches and one college named in the 1978 will, and made two $500 bequests, with the residue designated in twenty percent shares to the following: 1) Thelma Wasson Owen, 2) Hazel Wasson Gilliland, 3) Allene G. Blair, 4) the surviving issue of Joe D. Gallaspy, David and Jody, 5) the surviving issue of Glenn T. Gallaspy, Gladys F. Gallaspy, Carolyn Yelverton, Glenn T. Gallaspy, Jr. As in the 1978 will, the contestant, Laura's nephew, William Gallaspy, and his siblings, were not named as beneficiaries under the updated will. Sara F. Gallaspy was named in the 1984 will as Executrix with her son, David, as alternate Executor. In updating the will, Sara did not question the Wassons about the changes, render legal advice regarding the will, or charge a fee for the revision. Sara was not present when the will was executed at a local financial institution. Jones Wasson died one year and three months after the will was executed and Laura Wasson died almost two years after the execution of the will. The wills were admitted to probate and in 1986, the contestant, William C. Gallaspy, filed an objection to probate in both estates. The contestant/appellant contends: 1) that the lower court erred in finding that Jones I. Wasson had the necessary mental capacity to make a valid will; 2) that the lower court was manifestly in error when it failed to find the existence of a confidential or fiduciary relationship between Sara F. Gallaspy and the testator/testatrix and in failing to hold that a presumption of undue influence arose; and 3) the lower court manifestly erred in finding that any presumption arising from a fiduciary relationship had been overcome by clear and convincing evidence. These contentions will be combined for discussion. Testamentary capacity requires that the testator/testatrix have the ability to understand and appreciate the nature and effect of his/her act. Such capacity requires that the testator/testatrix recognize the natural objects of his/her bounty and their relation to him/her and that they be able to determine what disposition they desire to make of their property. The capacity to make a valid will is tested as of the date of the execution of the will. Matter of Estate of Edwards, 520 So. 2d 1370, 1372 (Miss. 1988). In the case sub judice, the proponent of the will made a prima facie case of testamentary capacity by placing into evidence the wills of both decedents, the affidavits of subscribing witnesses to both wills, and the judgment admitting both wills to probate. The only evidence offered at trial by the contestant was the testimony of Sara F. Gallaspy, who was called as an adverse witness. There was nothing in her testimony to indicate that Mr. Wasson lacked testamentary capacity. Dr. Gerald Gable testified that he did not see Mr. Wasson in 1984 and, therefore, could not venture an opinion as to his mental competency in 1984. When Dr. Gable saw Mr. Wasson in 1982, he was mentally competent. The doctor saw Mr. Wasson in March 1985, and, at that time, Mr. Wasson was rational. At the conclusion of the trial, the chancellor, sitting without a jury, made the following findings of fact and conclusions of law: The chancellor amended the above findings and made supplemental findings of fact: This Court said in Matter of Will of Adams, 529 So. 2d 611, 615 (Miss. 1988): Matter of Will of Adams, 529 So. 2d 611, 615 (Miss. 1988). *79 This Court has said that undue influence is the substitution of the will and intent of the beneficiary for that of the testator: Costello v. Hall, 506 So. 2d 293, 297-98 (Miss. 1987) (Emphasis in original). Although the chancellor did not make an express finding that a confidential relationship existed between Sara F. Gallaspy, the executrix, and the Wassons, he heard the evidence and made the findings of fact, which overcame a finding of confidential relationship, i.e., "that any fiduciary relationship existing between Sara F. Gallaspy and the testators and the presumption arising therefrom have been overcome by clear and convincing evidence". After the death of her husband, Mrs. Wasson desired to update her will and include as beneficiaries some persons who were the heirs of former beneficiaries of the will, who had died. Sara F. Gallaspy refused to let herself be included in the will. After a thorough consideration of the record in this case and the law applicable to the facts, we are of the opinion that the finding of the chancellor, that if a fiduciary relationship existed between Sara F. Gallaspy and the Wassons, any presumption arising therefrom has been overcome by clear and convincing evidence, is not erroneous but, on the other hand, is amply supported by the evidence. Therefore, the judgment of the lower must be, and is, affirmed. AFFIRMED. DAN M. LEE, P.J., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON, PITTMAN and BLASS, JJ., concur. HAWKINS, P.J., not participating. [1] The Wassons' estate was divided one-half to each of their families.