Opinion ID: 626466
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Creation of the Charitable Trust and Will Contest

Text: In 1974, Antonio Palumbo created the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust (the Charitable Trust). Palumbo died in 2002. During his life, he executed various wills and trust instruments; his last will was executed on July 6, 1999 (the 1999 will). The parties agree there was no express residuary provision in the 1999 will, despite the fact that each of Palumbo's previous wills devised the residue to the Charitable Trust. Palumbo's attorney admitted that this omission was a scrivener's error. The lack of a residuary clause led to a dispute over who was entitled to the residue. Palumbo's son claimed he, as Palumbo's sole intestate heir, was entitled to the residue, while the Charitable Trust claimed it was entitled to the residue because of the scrivener's error. The two sides reached a settlement wherein Palumbo's son received $5,600,000 along with real property in Wheeling, West Virginia, and the Charitable Trust received $11,721,141. [1] The settlement agreement was approved by an order of the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Elk County, Pennsylvania.