Opinion ID: 1191875
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Trial Court Correctly Instructed the Jury on the Issue of Undue Influence.

Text: Soth argues that the trial court erred in refusing to give his proposed jury instructions Nos. 1, 5, 16, and 20, regarding undue influence. The trial court gave the following instruction on undue influence: To sustain the claim of undue influence it must be proved by a preponderance of the evidence that the influence exercised amounted to a fraud or coercion, destroying free agency or the substitution of another's will for that of the testator so that the product is not that of the testator. This is a direct quotation from Estate of Heeb, 26 Haw. at 540, and is a correct statement of Hawai`i law on undue influence, explaining the ultimate determination for the trier of fact. Furthermore, Soth's proposed instructions Nos. 1, 5, 16, and 20 were both confusing ( e.g., addressing several issues at once or referring to him or her without any distinction) or misleading ( e.g., implying that no other evidence was presented but that mentioned in the instruction). Additionally, Soth's proposed instructions No. 5, 16, and 20 inappropriately commented on the facts actually presented at trial. Therefore, the trial court did not err in refusing to give Soth's proposed jury instructions Nos. 1, 5, 16, and 20, because the issue of undue influence was substantially and adequately covered by the instruction given by the trial court.