Opinion ID: 887449
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Unnaturalness of a Disposition as it Relates to Showing a Mind Easily Susceptible to Influence

Text: ¶ 29 The District Court found the disposition of the 2001 Will was not unnatural. In arguing against the District Court's finding, Contestants point out that the arrangements Charlie made effectively disinherited all of his children except Dennis. This Court has held, however, that the fact that a parent might leave the majority of his or her assets to only one child, while excluding others, is not in and of itself unnatural. In re Estate of Tipp, 281 Mont. 120, 126, 933 P.2d 182, 185 (1997). ¶ 30 In arguing that the 2001 Will was an unnatural disposition, Bo points out that he gave up his high school education to work for Charlie and spent almost the exact same number of years that Dennis did on the ranch. Bo further asserts that Charlie continually made efforts to give the ranch to both Dennis and Bo as evidenced by Charlie's first will and several of Charlie's statements made after Bernice died in 1997. Specifically, Bo contends that because Diann, Steve, and Tom each received $100,000.00 in life insurance proceeds after Bernice's death, it is clear that Charlie intended Bo to receive half of the ranch as he and Dennis were both left out of the life insurance proceeds and any result otherwise would be unnatural. ¶ 31 Charlie had the absolute right to destroy or change [his] will at any time, should [he] choose to do so. See Tipp, 281 Mont. at 126, 933 P.2d at 186. Despite this, Bo argues the change must have been unnatural because it contradicted Charlie's previously articulated desire to leave half the ranch to Bo and half the ranch to Dennis. Bo further stresses that there was no reason for Charlie to radically alter his will unless the alteration was the product of Dennis's undue influence. ¶ 32 The District Court concluded, however, that the disposition of this case was not unnatural. The court based its conclusion on testimony that Charlie's stated desire was to keep the ranch intact and that Dennis was the only sibling that had stayed on the ranch his entire life to work. Testimony from trial indicated that Charlie had obviously deeply cared for Bo and respected his work on the ranch. Nevertheless, given Charlie's articulated rationale for keeping the ranch intact as testified by Johnson at trial, the District Court determined that the results of the 2001 Will were not unnatural. We hold that these findings are not clearly erroneous.