Opinion ID: 1191875
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Appellate Proceedings

Text: Soth argued that: (1) the verdict was not supported by sufficient or competent evidence; (2) the trial court erred in admitting evidence of events which occurred after Carmen Herbert's death, including evidence of Soth's (a) INS proceedings, (b) application to be appointed special administrator, (c) failure to notify the probate court of his foreign residence (by way of judicial notice), (d) communications with Whittier College School of Law, and (e) moving into Carmen's home without paying any rent to the estate; (3) the trial court erred in excluding the rebuttal testimony of Peter Kashiwa, his attorney during the INS proceedings; (4) the trial court erred in admitting character evidence unrelated to the will's validity; (5) the trial court erred in admitting laypersons' testimony about Carmen's testamentary capacity without proper foundation; (6) the trial court erred in refusing to strike testimony regarding Soth's alleged unauthorized practice of law despite its prior motion in limine ruling; (7) the trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury regarding the (a) presumption of testamentary capacity, (b) insufficient bases for a determination of testamentary capacity, (c) low mental capacity required for making a will, (d) insufficient basis for a determination of mistake, and (e) difference between influence and undue influence with regard to a will's execution; (8) the trial court erred by instructing the jury on mistake without sufficient evidence to support the instruction; and (9) the trial court erred by instructing the jury that there was no evidence to support Soth's allegations of a breach of attorney-client privilege. On March 18, 1997, the ICA issued a final decision. In affirming the circuit court's judgment, the two-judge ICA majority held, in relevant part, that: (1) there was sufficient evidence to support each verdict; (2) the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it admitted into evidence nonexpert opinion testimony regarding Carmen's testamentary capacity; (3) the trial court did not err in admitting lay testimony regarding Soth's character prior to Carmen's death because it was relevant to his disposition to exert undue influence; (4) the trial court did not err in admitting evidence of events that occurred after Carmen's death regarding Soth's character because, again, it was relevant to his disposition to exert undue influence; (5) the trial court did not err when instructing the jury to disregard Soth's statement of violations of attorney-client privilege because it was not supported by the record; (6) the trial court did not err in refusing to give seven of Soth's requested jury instructions because the instructions, as given, were not prejudicially insufficient, erroneous, inconsistent, or misleading; and (7) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to strike testimony, previously ordered excluded, regarding Soth's unauthorized practice of law. [7] Judge Acoba dissented, first explaining that he disagreed with the majority's holding that an instruction on the presumption of testamentary capacity was not necessary. Second, he expressed great concern regarding the broad admission of character evidence under the SODR approach, see infra section III.A.4, and stated that he would remand the case on the ground that the substitution of will standard, as enunciated in In re Estate of Heeb, 26 Haw. 538, 540 (1922), was applicable and that the extensive amount of character evidence would not be admissible under Heeb. In this regard, Judge Acoba expressed the view that certain character evidence adduced about Soth may have prejudiced the jury and affected the verdict. Further, Judge Acoba believed that the verdicts were irreconcilably inconsistent. Because the verdict c[ould not support the degree of confidence in the trial proceedings which would justify affirmance[,] Judge Acoba would have vacated and remanded the case for a new trial. On March 31, 1997, Soth filed an application for a writ of certiorari to this court. Soth urges reversal of the ICA's affirmance of the jury verdict because: (1) there was insufficient evidence to sustain a verdict of testamentary incapacity, undue influence, and/or mistake; and (2) Soth was overwhelmingly prejudiced by the trial court's errors in (a) admitting character or disposition evidence that occurred after Carmen Herbert's death, (b) admitting character or disposition evidence that occurred before Carmen Herbert's death but was without foundation; (c) instructing the jury that there was no evidence to support Soth's argument that his attorney-client privilege was violated; and (d) failing to instruct properly the jury on the (i) presumption of testamentary capacity, (ii) low requisite level of mental capacity to make a will, and (iii) proper standard for undue influence.