Court Opinion

ID: 9852068
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:23:52.372091+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:21.630603
License: Public Domain

*7UNDERCOFLER, Justice,
concurring specially. I concur in the judgment and in overruling cases exemplified by Duffie v. Corridon, 40 Ga. 122, to the extent that they apply to the facts of the instant case. However, I do not agree with all that is said in the majority opinion. It reasons that this court, in Duffie v. Corridon, 40 Ga. 122, (1869), erroneously applied cases construing the English Wills Act, 7 Wm. IV & 1 Viet., c. 26, § IX (1837), to our Georgia statute which was patterned on the English Statute of Frauds, 29 Chas. II, c. 3, § 5 (1677), which latter Act only required attestation of the will "as declared by the testator... rather than the testator’s signature.” But the majority opinion then declares that "the testator must sign or acknowledge his signature in the presence of the witnesses” which is a requirement of the English Wills Act, 7 Wm. IV & 1 Viet., c. 26, § IX. To me it is inconsistent to say that this court in 1869 erred in reading into the Georgia statute a requirement of 7 Wm. IV & 1 Viet, and at the same time to read into the Georgia statute another requirement of 7 Wm. IV and 1 Viet. See 1 Page on Wills (1941), p. 630, § 349. In my opinion, a will is not invalid under our Georgia statute because one or more of the witnesses signed before the testator where the execution is completed at one entire transaction."... [N]o possible opportunity for fraud is presented by permitting [a] testator to sign or acknowledge immediately after the witnesses have signed or acknowledged, and at the same transaction; and accordingly such fact should not be held to render the will invalid...” Page on Wills (1941), pp. 672, 677, § 372; p. 652, § 360.