Opinion ID: 1301652
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Negligence Claim Against Attorney LaBudde

Text: ¶ 69 Having addressed the intentional tort claims, we turn next to the negligence claim against Attorney LaBudde. The circuit court denied LaBudde's motion to dismiss the Tensfeldt children's claim that LaBudde was negligent in the administration of Robert's estate. Because the Tensfeldt children were named in Robert's will, the court determined that they have standing to bring a negligence claim against LaBudde under the rule established in Auric v. Continental Cas. Co., 111 Wis.2d 507, 331 N.W.2d 325 (1983). ¶ 70 In Auric, this court established an exception to the general rule that an attorney is not liable in negligence to third parties for acts committed in the exercise of his professional obligations to his client. In that case, it was undisputed that the decedent intended to make Auric a beneficiary of his will. Auric's attorney drafted a will in accordance with the decedent's testamentary intent. However, the attorney negligently failed to collect the proper signatures, and as a result, the will was deemed invalid. Auric filed suit against the decedent's attorney, alleging negligence. ¶ 71 We concluded that the third party beneficiary of a will may maintain an action against an attorney who negligently drafted or supervised the execution of the will. Id. at 509, 331 N.W.2d 325. Our decision was based on the irreparable failure on the part of the attorney to carry out the decedent's intent: In this state, there is a constitutional right to make a will and to have it carried out according to the testator's intentions. This right reflects a strong concern that people should be as free as possible to dispose of their property upon their death. Allowing a will beneficiary to maintain a suit against an attorney who negligently drafts or supervises the execution of a will is one way to make an attorney accountable for his negligence. Id. at 513, 331 N.W.2d 325 (citations omitted). ¶ 72 In such cases, the attorney's negligence frustrates the decedent's testamentary intent because it prevents the decedent's will from being enforceable. In cases falling under the Auric exception, there is no question that the decedent's intent was thwarted due to the attorney's negligence. In these cases, if the court did not allow the third party beneficiaries to bring suit, there would be no one to vindicate the client's expectation of competent representation because by definition, the client is deceased. Thus, Auric allows third party beneficiaries of a will to stand in for the deceased testator to ensure that his testamentary intent is fulfilled. This exception is a narrow one. ¶ 73 Here, the circuit court ruled that the Tensfeldt children were entitled to bring a claim of negligence against LaBudde because the children were named in the estate plan he drafted and executed. It is true that under Wisconsin law, a plaintiff must be named in a will in order to bring a negligence action against the attorney who negligently drafted or executed the will. See Beauchamp v. Kemmeter, 2001 WI App 5, ¶ 9, 240 Wis.2d 733, 625 N.W.2d 297 (Ct.App.2000). Being named in the instrument is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for overcoming the general rule that attorneys are immune from liability for negligence to third parties. The third party beneficiary must be able to establish that the attorney's failure thwarted the decedent's clear intent. See Auric, 111 Wis.2d at 513, 331 N.W.2d 325. ¶ 74 It is undisputed that LaBudde carried out Robert's explicit instructions when he crafted an estate plan that did not leave two-thirds of Robert's net estate outright to his children. To this end, we determine that the children's third party negligence claim cannot be maintained because they cannot establish that LaBudde's negligence thwarted Robert's clear intent. We conclude that the circuit court erred in denying LaBudde's motion for summary judgment on the negligence claim.