Opinion ID: 1191875
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Trial Court Correctly Instructed the Jury on the Issue of Mistake.

Text: Soth argues that the trial court erred by instructing the jury on mistake when no evidence existed in the record to support an instruction on mistake. Soth also argues, however, that the trial court erred in refusing to give his proposed jury instructions Nos. 5 and 10, which address mistake. First, as stated above, there was substantial evidence presented to the jury to support a verdict of mistake, let alone to support the giving of an instruction on mistake. Second, the issue of mistake was adequately and substantially covered by the instruction on mistake, i.e., that First Church bore the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that Carmen was mistaken as to the nature and content of the 1989 Will, given by the trial court. Thus, the trial court did not err in refusing to give Soth's proposed jury instructions Nos. 5 and 10.