Opinion ID: 1058249
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Principles of Will Construction

Text: In construing a will, the cardinal rule is that the Court must attempt to ascertain the intent of the testator and to give effect to that intent unless prohibited by a rule of law or public policy. Id. at 150; see Winningham v. Winningham, 966 S.W.2d 48, 50 (Tenn.1998). Holographic wills drawn by unskilled drafters are given a liberal construction. See Garner v. Becton, 187 Tenn. 34, 212 S.W.2d 890, 891 (1948). Nevertheless, the intention of the testator must be ascertained, if at all possible, from the particular words used in the will and from the context, general scope, and purpose of the instrument. Daugherty v. Daugherty, 784 S.W.2d 650, 653 (Tenn.1990). The Court cannot determine the devolution of estates based upon the mere surmise as to the testator's intention. Pinkerton v. Turman, 196 Tenn. 448, 268 S.W.2d 347, 350 (1954). The administrator of the estate argues that Ms. McFarland's will manifested a clear preference for those specified beneficiaries rather than for the heirs at law. He argues that Ms. McFarland clearly intended the residuary beneficiaries to receive the remainder of her estate, in its entirety, and to the exclusion of all other persons, including her heirs. The administrator also correctly notes that when a person makes a will there is a presumption that the person did not intend to die intestate as to any part of his or her property. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 32-3-101 (2001); In re Walker, 849 S.W.2d 766, 768 (Tenn.1993). On the other hand, the law requires us to read a will as if it had been executed immediately prior to the testator's death. Tenn.Code Ann. § 32-3-101 (2001); see also Bell v. Shannon, 212 Tenn. 28, 367 S.W.2d 761, 766 (1963). Furthermore, a person is presumed to be acquainted with applicable rules of law when executing a will. McCarley v. McCarley, 210 Tenn. 484, 360 S.W.2d 27, 29 (1962). We must presume, therefore, that Ms. McFarland, prior to her death, knew that several of the beneficiaries had predeceased her, and we can further presume that she knew these lapsed gifts would pass by intestate succession to her heirs. Also, there is no evidence in the record that she attempted to redraft or revise her will to provide for an alternative distribution of the lapsed gifts. Faced with a lack of any clear evidence concerning the testatrix's intent on this point, we are left to apply the general rules governing residuary clauses and lapsed gifts.