Opinion ID: 2118343
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Animus Testandi.

Text: Appellant, however, has other shots in his locker, the first of which is that even if the entire 14 pages of the will, as originally typed, were before the testator and witnesses at the time of execution, the fact that Beale so quickly chose to make changes in it must persuade the court that at the moment of execution Beale did not intend this to be his will, no matter what he may have declared. The burden is on appellant to show that although Beale had himself dictated this will in the very recent past and had declared it to his three friends to be his will, he had already changed his mind concerning it. As before, the court might have drawn that inference but it was not compelled to do so. The trial court considered Beale's express declaration that this was his will as of that moment was entitled to the greater weight. That court said, in its written decision: The objectors contend that the proper animus testandi is lacking in this case. Such an objection cannot be sustained. It certainly cannot be said that a man who dictates a document consisting of 14 pages which purports to be his last will and testament, takes the finished typewritten document from Madison, Wisconsin, to New York City, secures three personal friends to witness the document, telling them it is his will, all of which takes place shortly before he is to take a long trip to a foreign land, lacks the necessary testamentary intent to make that document his last will. The necessary testamentary intent existed at the time the will was executed, and that is all that is required. The inference drawn by the trial court is reasonable and we must adopt its conclusion.