Opinion ID: 1235766
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Facts and Initial Proceedings.

Text: Frances Greenwald died on August 9, 1996, survived by her husband, Harold Greenwald, a half-sister, Delores Raushenberger, and various other relatives. Frances and Harold had no children together. Frances executed a will on August 2, 1973, which had been prepared by an attorney. On January 8, 1988, Frances signed a will that was prepared by a second attorney. After Frances's death, Delores petitioned for the probate of a copy of Frances's 1988 will. Her petition was initially granted. The court later rescinded the order on Harold's objection that the will was not signed or witnessed. Delores then filed a petition for declaratory judgment to establish and probate the unsigned copy as the decedent's will. The court refused to recognize the copy as a will because Delores had failed to rebut the presumption that Frances had destroyed the original will with the intent to revoke it. The court further ruled that, while the copy of the 1988 will could not be admitted to probate, the will as initially executed was effective to revoke Frances's 1973 will. The 1973 will, moreover, was held not to be revived under the doctrine of dependent relative revocation.