Statutory Requirements for a Valid Written Will Interactions
Nicole comes
from a very wealth family. Unlike the rest of her family, she has drifted
in her life, spending several years in and out of mental institutions.
Her family always paid for her treatment. During one of those stays, she
was befriended by her roommate, Simone. Simone eventually became aware
of Nicole’s financial standing and encouraged her to prepare a will.
Given her precarious mental state, Simone convinced Nicole that it was
prudent to prepare a will. The will named Simone as the sole beneficiary.
Shortly after its execution, Nicole died of an overdose. The will is valid.
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Palmer worked
on his family’s farm in Alabama, so he never got the chance to learn
to read or write. As such, he needed help with preparing a will. At the
execution, he was uncertain how to sign his name, so he just marked an
“X” on the signature line. The two witnesses also signed.
Three years after executing the will, Palmer died in an accident on the
farm. His two sons, the beneficiaries of the will, submitted the will
to probate.
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Elton decided
to prepare his own will. He consulted several books to get an idea as
to how it should be prepared. After he was finished, he asked two of his
neighbors to witness his signature. Several weeks later, Elton decided
he wanted to add a few provisions to the will, which substantially changed
his wishes. Accordingly, he typed another page with those provisions and
stapled it to the rest of the will. Five years later, Elton died and his
executor submitted the will to probate.
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Bill makes
a will, leaving almost all of his assets to his wife, Hillary. Bill makes
a specific bequest of $10,000 to his neighbor, Monica. His neighbors,
George and Monica, serve as the witnesses during the execution of the
will.
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Bill makes
a will, leaving all of his assets to his wife, Hillary. His neighbors,
George and Monica, serve as the witnesses during the execution of the
will, but sign the will before Bill. He is standing next to them at the
time and signs right after they do.
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Libby was
70 years old when she decided to prepare her will. She had been putting
if off for several years because she was still active in the company she
had founded 40 years ago. It had grown into a $25 million company, which
provided her with the means to acquire a lot of assets. Her seemingly
loyal assistance, Tucker, had been with her for 20 years. So, Libby felt
comfortable having him assist her with preparing the will. Tucker’s
brother, Art, was a lawyer, so she allowed him to prepare the will for
her. Libby wanted to leave the bulk of her estate to her children, grandchildren
and favorite charity. Tucker and Art assured Libby that the will did just
that. However, Tucker was the sole beneficiary. At the time of the execution,
Libby was too busy to actually read it; she just hurriedly signed it,
along with the witnesses.
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Libby was
70 years old when she decided to prepare her will. She had been putting
if off for several years because she was still active in the company she
had founded 40 years ago. It had grown into a $25 million company, which
provided her with the means to acquire a lot of assets. Her seemingly
loyal assistance, Tucker, had been with her for 20 years. So, Libby felt
comfortable having him assist her with preparing the will. Tucker’s
brother, Art, was a lawyer, so she allowed him to prepare the will for
her. Libby wanted to leave the bulk of her estate to her children, grandchildren
and favorite charity. Tucker and Art assured Libby that the will did just
that. However, Tucker was the sole beneficiary. At the time of the execution,
Libby was too busy to actually read it; she just hurriedly signed it,
along with the witnesses. Two years later Libby dies.
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Skylar had
been a widower for 10 years before he met Candace, who was 30 years his
junior. They married six months after meeting. Reluctantly, Skylar’s
children, Timothy and Kendall accepted Candace into the family. Shortly
thereafter Skylar had to have surgery for lung cancer. Before his operation,
Skylar signed a will naming Candace as his sole beneficiary. This new
will replaced an old will that named Skylar’s children as the beneficiaries.
Skylar dies. Timothy and Kendall contest the will, citing undue influence.
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Mia and Antoine
recently prepared wills. Most of the provisions in both wills were similar.
Each left his or her property to the other person. By mistake, during
the execution of the wills, they signed each other’s will. No one
caught the error. Six months later, Antoine dies.
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Melanie is
in the process of preparing her will. She decides to leave her personal
residence to her daughter, Ursula. She wants to leave her beach house
to her daughter, Melody. She plans to leave the residue of her estate
to her nephew, Joseph. When the lawyer prepares the will, he inadvertently
left out the provision for Ursula. Melanie did not notice this omission
when she executed the will. Nine months later, Melanie dies.
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Melanie is
in the process of preparing her will. Initially, she decides to leave
her personal residence to her daughter, Ursula. However, upon further
reflection she decides not to. After all, Ursula already has a home out-of-state;
Melanie knows she would not be interested in her old house. She wants
to leave her beach house to her daughter, Melody. She plans to leave the
residue of her estate to her nephew, Joseph. When the lawyer prepares
the will, he mistakenly leaves in the provision for Ursula. Melanie did
not notice this inclusion when she executed the will. Nine months later,
Melanie dies.
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Melanie is
in the process of preparing her will. She decides to leave her personal
residence to her daughter, Ursula. She wants to leave her beach house
to her daughter, Melody. She plans to leave the residue of her estate
to her nephew, Joseph. When the lawyer prepares the will, he inadvertently
left out the provision for Ursula. Melanie did not notice this omission
when she executed the will. Nine months later, Melanie dies. When the
probate court disallows her bequest, Ursula sues the lawyer for negligent
drafting.
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Generosa (age
46) recently prepared a new will. It will supercede a will she prepared
in 2002 that left all but $1.5 million of her estate to her now estranged
second husband, Danny (age 40). Her first husband, Ted, was bludgeoned
to death in their home in East Hampton (Danny is a suspect in that murder).
The new will appoints the nanny of her 13-year-old twins, Kathryn, as
guardian, giving her a $1 million gift and lifetime free use of the East
Hampton home. At Kathryn’s death, the home (valued at $9 million)
will pass to her children. The balance of the estate (valued between $34-100
million) will go to her children and a charitable foundation founded by
her late husband. Lastly, she bequeathed $250,000 to her mother-in-law,
Janet (Danny’s mother). Danny was excluded from the will because
he signed a post-nuptial agreement that waived his rights to a share of
Generosa’s estate. As consideration, he received $2 million and
a waterfront home in Center Moriches, Long Island. Generosa died last
week of cancer. Now, Danny claims that his attorneys “directed him
to sign some documents,” one being the post-nuptial agreement. Danny’s
waiver is valid.
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Gordon had
recently remarried after being a widower for a dozen years. His four children
were already grown. His new wife, Tammy, was 20 years his junior. Tammy
convinced Gordon that they should both draft new wills. Gordon went to
his attorney to draft a new will. Since he had been out of touch with
the attorney for several years, he did not know that he had retired. Tammy
suggested they use another attorney, Otis, to prepare the wills. Unbeknownst
to Gordon, Tammy and Otis had been high school sweethearts. Gordon intended
to leave the bulk of his estate to Tammy; he also wanted to include a
bequest to his children. The final will excluded any mention of the children;
however, Otis had added a $50,000 bequest for himself. Gordon dies. The
children contest the will on the ground of undue influence.
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