Court Opinion

ID: 9728213
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 14:02:07.255376+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:46.897319
License: Public Domain

BERGER, Justice,
dissenting.
I share the majority’s general concern that a person in a confidential relationship with a susceptible testator may abuse that trust. In this case, however, there is no evidence that Viola was a person of diminished or “weakened” intellect. Thus, even under the majority’s formulation, there is no basis on which to shift the burden of proof. My broader concern is that a will proponent saddled with the burden of proving the absence of undue influence will rarely be able to satisfy that burden. I think a better approach would be to retain the presumptive validity of the will, but allow the trial court more freedom to find undue influence based upon its evaluation of all of the evidence, including the circumstances surrounding the drafting of the will and the credibility of the witnesses.
The facts in this ease do not warrant the de novo review called for by the majority. Viola entered the hospital on August 10,1994 suffering from an eating disorder. She was having trouble swallowing properly and was concerned that she would choke on her food. As a result, she was not eating and was becoming weak. According to John, her condition was improving until she unexpectedly choked on August 28th and died on August 31,1994.
John’s mother asked him to prepare the 1994 will on Thursday, August 11th. On Friday, August 12th, John brought the will to his mother and reviewed it with her. She asked him to make some changes to specific bequests and he took the will home with him. On Saturday, August 13th, John left the revised will with his mother and suggested that she review it with her friend, Michael Jarem-chuk. Viola executed the 1994 will on Sunday, August 14th. The Master found no evidence that Viola lacked testamentary capacity or that she was susceptible to undue influence. The Chancellor agreed, noting that neither Joseph nor any hospital personnel suggested that Viola’s mental capacity was diminished. Given this lack of evidence of susceptibility, I see no reason to ask the trial court to review the record under a different standard.
I also question how a will proponent could satisfy his or her burden to establish the absence of undue influence. Is it enough for the proponent to testify credibly that he or she did not influence the testator? The majority recognizes the difficulty in proving a negative but implicitly suggests that it can be done. It would be helpful to the trial court if some guidance were provided.
Based upon the foregoing, I respectfully dissent.