Opinion ID: 1645418
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: whether the faulkners had a duty to investigate the title and are precluded from asserting the doctrines of laches and estoppel.

Text: ¶ 14. As already noted, in today's case, a title investigation would not have revealed any further information to the Faulkners. Other than a disclosure by Thomas Karl or Connie, there was absolutely nothing to indicate that a will existed. Stated differently, as noted by the Faulkners, through counsel, in the record before us: First, a title examination would have revealed that Mazie Wilcher was the owner of the property, that no administration of her estate had been opened and that no petition to determine her heirship had been filed. Second, an investigation of her death and heirship would have determined that Mazie Wilcher had in fact died, that her husband had predeceased her and that Connie Wilcher was her daughter, only child, and sole heir at law all of which the [Faulkners] already knew and neither a petition to determine her heirship nor an administration of her estate would have produced a different result. The only way for these facts to be altered would be if [Thomas Karl and Connie], who knew that a will existed, had come forward and either produced the will or a[t] least disclosed this very material fact instead of waiting more than twelve years and then probating the will after the [Faulkners] purchased the land in good faith reliance on the facts and circumstances as they existed due to the silence and inaction of [Thomas Karl and Connie]. As previously stated, the elements of equitable estoppel must be considered where there is fraud, undue delay, or willful concealment. In re Stoball's Estate, 50 So.2d at 639-640. We likewise find this issue to have merit since there was a genuine issue of material fact for the trial court to determine as to the applicability of the doctrine of equitable estoppel.