Opinion ID: 2331585
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Statute of Limitations for Civil Fraud

Text: As an alternative theory for allowing her to mount a will contest, Valentine argues that the presence of fraud in the making of the will, e.g., securing Delaney's signature on it at a time when he could not write, invokes the probate court's equity jurisdiction and allows it to use the statute of limitations for civil fraud. Under D.C.Code ง 12-301, the time limit for bringing an action for forgery or fraud is three years. D.C.Code ง 12-301(8). Many courts have held that a provision in the general statutes of limitations for fraud does not apply to a will contest when the statute governing wills contains its own limitations provision. This is because a will contest is purely a creature of statute, is not derived from common law causes of action, and therefore should be governed by statutes of limitations provisions in its creating statute rather than those derived from the common law. See, e.g., Riddell v. Edwards, 32 P.3d 4, 8 (Alaska 2001) ([W]ill contests are unknown to the common law and exist only as permitted by statute. (internal quotations omitted)); Estate of Kitterman v. Pierson, 661 N.E.2d 1255, 1257 (Ind.Ct. App.1996) (The right to contest a will is statutory.); In re Estate of Thompson, 346 N.W.2d 5, 7 (Iowa 1984) (declining to apply doctrine of fraudulent concealment so as to extend time for challenging wills which have been admitted to probate); Miller v. Munzer, 251 S.W.2d 966 (Mo.Ct. App.1952); In re Peterson, 102 Wash.App. 456, 9 P.3d 845, 850 (2000) (Will contests are statutory proceedings and courts must be governed by the provisions of the applicable statutes, rather than by the rules of civil procedure (internal quotations and citations omitted)). Other courts have shown themselves reluctant to apply civil statutes of limitation to probate proceedings because to do so would run directly counter to the state's strong interest in the orderly settlement of estates. See, e.g., Pedersen v. Dempsey, 341 Ill.App. 141, 93 N.E.2d 85, 86 (1950). [5] On the whole, it seems most reasonable to us to use only the will-contest statute of limitations for probate cases. Since the probate code itself sets forth a period of limitations for contesting a will, there is neither need nor reason to look elsewhere for a different time limitation. Furthermore, if we read the three-year statute of limitations for civil fraud into the probate statute, that three-year period might be further extended by application of the discovery rule. This could unleash grave uncertainty into the world of probate. Under this approach, a plaintiff conceivably could reopen a probate case years after it was closed and after the estate had been distributed. This is directly contrary to the District's strong policy interest in the orderly settlement of estates. We hold that the statute of limitations for fraud embodied in D.C.Code ง 12-301(8) does not apply to will contests under the probate code. Therefore, the six months limitation period of the probate statute applies.