May v. Fidelity Trust Co.
May v. Fidelity Trust Co.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The appeals are from a judgment of the Common Pleas Court of Allegheny County non obstante veredicto in favor of proponents in a will contest. The issue was devisavit vel non. The verdict of the jury was in favor of contestants, who alleged undue influence.
The cogent relevant testimony may be stated with comparative succinctness, despite a trial which took ten and one-half days. There are 184 exhibits with a printed record of 1816 pages. The detailed narrative of facts may be found in the opinion of the hearing judge in the orphans’ court refusing an issue (printed in supplemental record), in the majority opinion of that court reversing the hearing judge, and in the opinion of the court in banc in the common pleas entering judgment for proponents n.o.v.
The decedent, Anna A. Frank, a widow, died April 11, 1947. Her heirs and next of kin were a daughter, Florence F. May (a proponent) and two minor grandchildren, Stephanie Frank and Ann Frank (contestants), children of a deceased son, Herbert I. Frank. The daughter Florence is married to Harry L. May
The personal estate of decedent is said to aggregate approximately $600,000. Any ownership of real estate is not disclosed by the record. Decedent left a will dated February 6, 1946, prepared by an attorney, executed by her and witnessed by the lawyer-scrivener and his secretary. Under its provisions $1,000 was bequeathed to a cemetery association for perpetual care of the burial lot. All clothing, furniture, household goods and personal effects were bequeathed to decedent’s daughter Florence. The residue was divided as follows: two thirds absolutely to the daughter Florence. The remaining one third was placed in trust for the daughter’s two children, Herbert L. May and Marion May Linton. There are contingent provisions relating to possible deaths of the daughter and her two children without leaving issue, whereupon the daughter’s husband, Harry L. May, is given a life estate with remainder to surviving children of the deceased son (the contestants). In the event of the death of such named beneficiaries, the trust estate is passed to decedent’s niece and nephew.
Except for the remote recited contingency, contestants, the children of her deceased son, Stephanie and Ann, were disinherited. By the fourth item of the contested will decedent stated: “I having heretofore made substantial gifts to Stephanie Frank and Ann Frank, children of my deceased son, Herbert I. Frank, and being satisfied they will also be assured of ample funds from the estate of my deceased husband, Abraham Frank, I therefore give, devise and bequeath [as recited above].”
The daughter Florence was named as executrix, and in case of her inability to act then testatrix’s son-in-law, Harry L. May, was substituted. Should both be
In the opinion of Judge Kennedy speaking for tbe court in banc when entering tbe judgment n.o.v., it is stated: “The contestants have conceded the testamentary capacity of Anna A. Frank since early in tbe bearing in tbe Orphans’ Court. Tbe contestants at this trial also conceded that tbe testimony in their behalf did not warrant a conclusion that Anna A. Frank was, at the time of the execution of tbe will, or any time thereafter, a person of greatly weakened intellect, considering her age and physical disabilities, and therefore agreed that tbe burden of proving undue influence, misrepresentation, etc., remained with them.”
Tbe accuracy of Judge Kennedy’s statement is supported by tbe opinion of decedent’s family physician and contestants’ witnesses, referred to in tbe opinion as follows: “ [Tbe doctor] did state that except for tbe few occasions when Mrs. Frank was in a diabetic coma, that she remained mentally strong and alert, considering her age and her physical ailment, up until tbe time of her death. It might be here mentioned that all of tbe contestants’ witnesses agreed that Mrs. Frank was a woman of high intelligence and mentally strong.”
It is freely conceded that Harry L. May, tbe son-in-law (a proponent), tbe lawyer who drafted tbe will, occupied a confidential relation toward decedent. In tbe opinion of tbe court in banc it is said: “It was clearly shown that by [May’s] own testimony, and bis own admission that be stood in a highly confidential relationship with Mrs. Frank.”
Tbe testimony must be reviewed in the light of tbe conceded facts that decedent possessed testamentary capacity, and her mind was not weakened either by mental or physical affliction, and that tbe husband
According to the testimony of Mr. and Mrs. May, after her son’s death on January 5, 1946, decedent informed them that she desired to make a new will; that she took her former will of 1936 wherein her son, to his dissatisfaction, was given but a life estate in one-third with remainder to contestants; and that decedent went over the will with the Mays item by item. Decedent informed them that she did not want any of her money to go to the family of the widow of the son and that she was not leaving anything to contestants because with their shares in her late husband’s trust and under their father’s will they would be amply provided for. Mr. May testified that he made elaborate notes of her instructions. Later in his office in Steuben-ville, Ohio, Mr. May testified that he drafted the will in accordance with her instructions and on February 2, 1946, he went over, the draft with decedent item by item, and. every paragraph' was carefully discussed and explained. He further testified that he requested decedent to call her bank and have them recommend a Pittsburgh firm of attorneys. Decedent did this and one of the leading firms of Pittsburgh, that of Reed, Smith, Shaw and McClay was selected. Mr. May testified that a lawyer in Steubenville told him that James H. Beal,. Esq., was a member of that firm; in consequence Mr. May telephoned Mr. Beal and arranged for his firm to write the will of decedent according to the draft of the will to be forwarded to the firm. Following such telephone conversation the following letter was sent:
“Harry L. May
Attorney at Law
Steubenville, Ohio
*141 February 4, 1946
“Reed, Smith, Shaw & McClay,
747 Union Trust Building,
Pittsburgh, Penna.,
Attention James H; Beal, Esq.,
Dear Mr. Beal:
“In accordance with our telephone, conversation this afternoon, I am enclosing herewith carbon copy of will of Anna A. Frank of Pittsburgh.
“I would request that you have an origional [sic] and two carbon copies made in your office and Mrs. Frank and myself will be present for execution of the same on Wednesday February 6th at 2:00 P.M.
“As explained to you in our conversation, I, being á son-in-law of Mrs. Frank and my wife and children being beneficiaries under this will, do not desire the slightest question being raised as to undue influence or otherwise; hence deemed it proper that the matter be consumated in your office in order that whoever you may delegate to take care of the same in your absence will be in position, if necessary, to so testify.
“Please understand I do not anticipate any question arising regarding this matter and am only taking this course in order that there can be no possible criticism on account of my preparing the will which was done at the express request of Mrs. Frank.
“Trusting to have the pleasure of meeting you personally at some time in the near future, I remain
Very truly yours,'
(s) Harry L. May
Harry L. May
M/m enclos.”
At the appointed day and hour Mr. May together with his son accompanied decedent to the office of Messrs. Reed, Smith, Shaw and McClay where they met Frank W. Ittel, Esq., who had been delegated by the firm
After executing the will decedent, in company with Mr. May and his son, went to the trust department of the Union Trust Company, in the same building as the offices of Beed, Smith, Shaw and McClay. She there left the will, and took a receipt, and the document was placed in the bank’s vault for safe keeping. The following day the bank mailed a letter to decedent, acknowledging receipt of the new will and enclosed the old 1936 will. The will remained in the bank until after decedent’s death on April 11, 1947 (about fourteen months). Meantime decedent had retained a carbon copy of the will.
The testimony on behalf of contestants in support of their allegation of undue influence is wholly circumstantial. No witness of either proponents or contestants testified that Mr. or Mrs. May had ever men
In our recent decision of Williams v. McCarroll, 374 Pa. 281, 97 A. 2d 14, Mr. Justice Bell exhaustively reviewed the field of will contests: when issues devisavit vel non should be granted or refused, the functions of hearing judges and of juries in such issues, and when, after a trial and verdict, a judgment-wow obstante veredicto should be entered or withheld. The pertinent statutes and cases were cited and discussed.
The measure of testimony requisite to establish the existence of undue influence sufficient to set aside a
And, as in the present case, where decedent’s testamentary capacity is conceded and there is no evidence of weakened intellect, either because of mental or physical affliction, the burden is upon those who assert undue influence to prove it even when the bulls of the estate is left to one occupying a confidential relation: Phillips’ Estate, supra, p. 44, with the many cases therein cited. See also Ash Will, 351 Pa. 317, 41 A. 2d 620; Quein Will, 361 Pa. 133, 145, 62 A. 2d 909; Snedeher Estate, 368 Pa. 607, 84 A. 2d 568; Roberts Will, 373 Pa. 7, 17, 94 A. 2d 780.
The right of a trial court to enter judgment non obstante veredicto has been so well established that discussion seems superfluous. Such right, and the nature of judicial consideration in weighing the evidence has been well stated by Mr. Justice Jones in Stewart Will, 354 Pa. 288, 47 A. 2d 204, where he said, p. 294: “We do not agree, however, that, in passing upon the proponents’ motion for judgment n.o.v., the court below was required to view the verdict on the basis of the facts and inferences most favorable to the successful party. (Compare Morrish Estate, 156 Pa. Superior Ct. 394, 40 A. 2d 907.) Such is the rule in an action at law where the jury is the sole judge of the facts. But, in the trial of an issue devisavit vel non, where the trial judge sits as a chancellor, his conscience must be satisfied with the justness of the verdict on the basis of all of the evidence.. If the chancellor is not so satisfied, he may set aside the verdict
In Guarantee Trust & Safe Deposit Co. v. Heidenreich, 290 Pa. 249, 138 A. 764, Justice Walling said to the same effect, p. 251: “In [trial of issue d.v.n.] the judge sits as a chancellor, and the question is not whether some of the evidence taken by itself would support the verdict, but whether it would when considered as a whole: Fleming’s Est., 265 Pa. 399; Keller v. Lawson, 261 Pa. 489. Testamentary incapacity must be established by the weight of the evidence (Lawrence’s Est., 286 Pa. 58; see also Sharpless’s Est., 134 Pa. 250); here it clearly is not. To the chancellor the verdict is advisory; hence, in such case, the rule that all evidence in support of the verdict must be taken as true and all opposed must be rejected is not applicable. Of course, where the facts were for the jury the verdict should not be lightly set aside; but here, the proof taken as a whole was not sufficient to overcome the presumption of testamentary capacity and the case should have been withdrawn from the jury. See Tet-low’s Est., 269 Pa. 486. To warrant submitting such contest to a jury there must be such a substantial conflict in the evidence as to support a verdict for either side. See Fleming’s Est., supra; Phillip’s Est., 244 Pa. 35; Roberts v. Clemens, 202 Pa. 198; also Brehony, Exr., v. Brehony, 289 Pa. 267.” See also: Olshefski’s Estate, 337 Pa. 420, 11 A. 2d 487; Shuey v. Shuey, 340 Pa. 27, 16 A. 2d 4.
Williams v. McCarroll, supra, has so thoroughly discussed these principles and cases, including those which are herein cited, that we need not elaborate further.
Applying then these legal principles to the facts of this case it clearly appears that contestants have
The judgment is affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
Dissenting Opinion by
The result reached by the majority of the court in this case is so contrary to what I conceive to be right and proper, and does such injustice, as I firmly believe, to the two grandchildren of the testatrix who have been disinherited, that I cannot do other than record my earnest dissent.
The voluminous record reveals a sordid story of family discord, avarice and intrigue. The jury, which
The court below, in what impresses me as a wholly unjustified exercise of authority, (and I shall discuss later its power in that regard) vacated the verdict of the jury and entered judgment n.o.v. for the proponents. In my opinion neither that court nor the present majority opinion of this court has adequately recited or analyzed the significant and vital facts which
In the light of our decisions I do not challenge the power of the trial judge, sitting as a chancellor, to set aside the verdict of the jury in cases such as this if, as stated in Stewart Will, 354 Pa. 288, 295, 47 A. 2d 204, 207, his conscience is not satisfied with the justness of the verdict on the basis of all of the evidence. But that does not mean that he is a law unto himself and that the workings of his conscience cannot be reviewed. On the contrary, the authorities are clear to the effect that his discretion in such cases is, — as in all other cases — not unlimited, and that his decision should be reversed in this court if, in our opinion, the discretion has been abused: Dible’s Estate, 316 Pa. 553, 175 A. 538; DeLaurentiis’s Estate, 323 Pa. 70, 78, 186 A. 359, 363; Lare Will, 352 Pa. 323, 330, 42 A. 2d 801, 804; Williams v. McCarroll, 374 Pa. 281, 299, 97 A. 2d 14, 22.
I proceed therefore to a statement and consideration of the various phases of the testimony. I think it will clearly appear that the action of the court below in upsetting the jury’s verdict was wrong and unjustified.
(1) The physical condition of the testatrix.
Between 1932, when her health commenced to deteriorate, and the time of her death in 1947, the testatrix suffered five cerebral hemmorhages or paralytic attacks. One of these caused a partial paralysis of her left side, another a weakness of her right hand and leg, another a mental confusion and difficulty in walking, another a permanent paralysis of her right side. In addition to these frightful strokes she suffered all the later years of her life from severe diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerosis, requiring her hospitalization on at least three occasions. The sudden
Such, then, is a picture of the weak, suffering and distracted victim of a wholly undue pressure exerted upon her to induce her to make her highly unnatural will.
(2) What possible reason could the testatrix have had for disinheriting the two beloved children of her deceased son in favor of the children of her daughter?
This question is the one which naturally is the first to arise in the consideration of this case. What possible reason? Ever since their birth the testatrix had been devoted to these two grandchildren. One of them was named after her. They visited her frequently. She was proud of them. After her son’s death she expressed herself as being worried what would become of them. She manifested at all times profound interest in their schooling, their clothing, and their social lives. She gave them gifts from time to time and on
Extending throughout the testimony of Mr. and Mrs. May there is an attempt to set up another alleged reason why the testatrix disinherited her deceased son’s
Having thus shown the utter futility of Mr. May’s attempt to advance reasons for the testatrix’s disinheritance of Herbert’s children, and that in fact no such reasons could possibly have existed, the question accordingly persists: Why did she do it? What was the pressure exerted upon her that caused her to make such an inexplicable departure from all of her previous wills? But before referring to the testimony that completely answers that question attention is directed to the evidence concerning an occurrence that would seem almost as though providentially designed to point the way to the truth in this case.
(3) Mr. Ruslander’s interview with the testatrix.
S. Leo Ruslander, Esq., an esteemed and respected member of the bar, had long been an intimate friend of the testatrix and her husband. He was for many years associated in the office of A. Leo Weil, Esq., where most of the testatrix’s former wills had been written. In 1930, four months after her son’s marriage, she had, in the will then made, given as much as one-half of her estate to her son for life and at his death to his children if any, but in subsequent wills she had left only one-third of her estate to her son and at his death to his children, and Herbert had frequently protested that his family should receive one-half of the estate the .same- as his sister, Mrs. May.
There is only one possible clue to this extraordinary situation. It is that the testatrix was subjected to a wholly ruthless badgering and control exercised upon her weakened body and sorely distressed mind, as will hereafter appear.
(4) Mrs. May’s domination of her mother and overpotoering of her will.
It is necessary in a court of justice to state and review the facts, unpleasant as they may be. Ten witnesses, each and every one of them wholly disinterested
So much of their relationship in general. It is somewhat significant that in the very face of approaching death, the testatrix was so fearful of Mrs. May’s hostility to Herbert’s children and so mindful of her continued efforts to prevent them from receiving any of her money, that she secretly telephoned to the assistant Vice-President of the Mellon Bank in order to ascertain whether she could give them checks which would be honored after her death.
In her weakened physical condition and depressed state of mind the testatrix could not resist the importunities and domination exercised upon her by Mrs. May.
(5) Mrs. May’s antagonism to her brothers family and her plotting to prevent them from inheriting any
It was testified that Mrs. May constantly talked against Rose, her sister-in-law, saying to the testatrix on one occasion: “That damned Rose Frank has spent enough or wasted enough of her (Mrs. May’s) dead daddy’s money.” Nurses testified that she tried to prevent Rose from visiting the testatrix in the hospitals where she was confined during the periods of her illnesses, — efforts in that direction being made to such an extent that the testatrix’s physician had to order that Rose be allowed to visit the testatrix if the latter wanted her, which, the nurses said, she certainly did.
And now we come to a damning bit of evidence which shows not only Mrs. May’s objective but the reckless and even arrogant way in which she sought to gain it. Mr. Crawford Conrad, investment officer of the Mellon Bank, testified that Mrs. May visited ■the bank on January 15, 1946, which (1) was but ten days after Herbert’s death, (2) was at least five days, according to the Mays’ testimony, before the testatrix disclosed to them her wishes in regard to the disposition of her property, and (3) was the very day on which the testatrix was declaring to Mr. Ruslander that she wanted to change her will so as to provide better for her son’s children than the one-third of the estate she had provided in her previous wills. Mr. Conrad says that she stated she wished to discuss with him how her mother could create some trusts for her (Mrs. May’s) benefit and that of her children, and she said that in her opinion Herbert’s children should not participate in her mother’s estate. It is true that she denies having said these things to Mr. Conrad or that that was her purpose in calling upon him, but he, of course a perfectly disinterested witness, had made
There are other incidents pointing strikingly in the same direction to show Mrs. May’s undeviating determination to get her mother’s money for herself and her family and prevent any of it being acquired by her brother’s children. After she had succeeded in obtaining the power of attorney she made out checks, each for $3,000, to herself, to her husband, to her son, to her daughter, and to each of her daughter’s two infant children. Shortly thereafter the testatrix herself made out checks, each for $3,000, to Herbert’s children, Stephanie and Ann. The four checks which Mrs. May made out to herself, her husband and each of her children, were cashed, but she succeeded in having the two checks to Herbert’s children held up on the ground, not justified by the fact, that there was not enough money in bank to meet them. Incidentally, Mrs. May’s daughter attempted to cash the two checks to her children the very day after the testatrix died, concealing that fact from the bank. The testatrix, pathetically eager to make sure that Herbert’s children would obtain the money covered by the two checks, wrote on one of the stubs: “Be sure to pay this and above check whether I am here or not. Mother.” The stubs on one of which this inscription was written were found in a waste basket torn in pieces, under circumstances which clearly point to their having been destroyed by Mrs. May. It is of interest to note in this same connection that in the ease of a cheek which the testatrix gave to her daughter-in-law with which to buy a car for Stephanie, the testatrix told her to cash it immediately before Florence (Mrs. May) found out about
(6) Mr. May’s conduct in connection with the drafting of the will.
We have seen that on January 15, 1946, testatrix expressed to Mr. Ruslander her desire to provide for her son’s children, impliedly to a larger extent than the one-third of her estate provided in her former wills for her son and after his death for his children. A very few days later — sometime between January 20 and 25th according to Mr. May’s testimony — there occurred the visit of Mr. and Mrs. May to the testatrix at which it is clear, as will appear from her own subsequent declarations, that she was bullied into disinheriting these grandchildren. The interview was an extremely tumultuous one. Two witnesses testified that Mrs. May’s voice was especially loud and harsh. The Mays state that the only subject for discussion was whether the testatrix should give half of her estate to Mrs. May and half to the latter’s children, or two-thirds to Mrs. May and a third to her children. It would not seem that the decision of that question would require a long and acrimonious argument, since that Avas a relatively minor matter for the Mays themselves to decide and one as to Avhich the testatrix Avould have had no particular feeling or interest, while Mrs. May testified that she herself did not care about it one Avay or the other. Why, then, was the discussion so heated? And why, as the witnesses testified did the testatrix come aAvay from it agitated, depressed, and sobbing throughout the ensuing night?
There are two interesting matters to be noted in connection Avith this discussion. The one is that Mr. May originally testified that the agreement finally reached Avas that his wife Avas to obtain one-half of the estate and her children one-half, and yet the will
It is true, as has already been conceded, that no outside witness was present at this family altercation between the testatrix and Mr. and Mrs. May to testify to exactly what transpired there. But, if such an auditory witness is indispensable in a case to prove
Mr. May, as has been previously stated, claims that one of the chief reasons why the testatrix disinherited Herbert’s children was because she did not wish their mother to get any of her money, and yet he frankly admits that he did not advise her either as her son-in-law or as her lawyer, in which capacity he was then acting, that it was not necessary for her to disinherit them in order to prevent her daughter-in-law from profiting thereby. This is one of the most telling facts in .this case. If the testatrix told Mr. May, as he claims that she did, that she did not want Rose to get any of her money and was therefore leaving all of it to the Mays, certainly any disinterested lawyer performing his duty would have immediately pointed out to her the very simple way in which she could have accomplished her desire without disinheriting these children. Mr. May is guilty of what must have been a deliberate concealment on his part of this obvious solution of any such problem, so that it clearly appears that, at best, the will here in controversy is not the will of an instructed Anna Frank, but of an Anna Frank grossly deceived by the intentional silence of her attorney trying to get her money for Ms own family. It has been repeatedly held, not only that a misrepresentation may be sufficient in itself to constitute undue influence that will void a will (Phillips’ Estate, 244 Pa. 35, 43, 90 A. 457, 460; Buhan v. Keslar, 328 Pa. 312, 319, 194 A. 917, 920; Olshefski’s Es
In all the former wills that testatrix wrote she had employed other lawyers, — A. Leo Weil, William A. Wilson, or S. Leo Ruslander. Mr. May, as a lawyer conversant as he must or should have been with legal ethics, certainly knew (especially if the testatrix told him, as he claims, that she Avished to leave all her estate to his wife and children and disinherit these other children who Avere equally the natural objects of her bounty) that he should not undertake to act as her professional adviser in the drafting of her Avill. Ob
(7) The taking of the testatrix to Mr. ItteVs office.
I think it fair to assert that were it not for the testimony of Mr. Ittel as to his interview with the testatrix, neither the court below nor this court would probably have entertained the slightest doubt but that this will was the result of the coercion and domination of the testatrix by her daughter and son-in-law. It is especially important, therefore, that we carefully analyze this episode in the drama which has here been enacted. It starts with a letter written by Mr. May to Mr. Beal of the law firm of Reed, Smith, Shaw and McClay. Mr. May makes no secret of the object he had in mind, for he testified that he “hoped that at
Mr. Beal, in conformity with Mr. May’s request, delegated Mr. Ifetel to take care of the matter.
The taking of the testatrix to Mr. Ittel’s office and her interview with him are paralleled only by the notorious Russian trials in which the defendant utters parrot-like admissions of guilt apparently sincere to those (by analogy in this case Mr. Ittel) who are wholly innocent and uninformed as to the coercion and pressure that had been exerted upon the victim before his formal appearance. The testatrix’s faithful chauf
When the testatrix returned from Mr. Ittel’s office she ivas crying and extremely agitated and depressed. Why?
(8) The testatrix’s own declarations.
Certainly the person most competent to know Avhether the testatrix Avas subjected to coercion, intimidation and undue influence Avas the testatrix herself. What did she herself say, and how can her own statements be ignored as they are in the majority opinion?
She told Mrs. Byrd, her maid, who was also her daily companion and confidante, that she regretted having made changes in her Avill and wished she could make a new one; that she had done something she wished she could do over, but that Mrs. May would not allow her to make another will; that she had been forced by Mrs. May to change her will\. She cried as she made this latter statement. She told Mrs. Tucker, one of her nurses, that she regretted something she had done and wished she could undo it but that the Mays would not let her. One of her previous struggles with her daughter was when the latter had practically
A point is made by the proponents of the fact that the testatrix lived for fourteen months after the execution of the will and they therefore argue that she could, during that period, have changed it had she so desired. But apart from the fact that she suffered an ever increasing physical and mental deterioration in that last year of her life during which she was twice hospitalized, once in a comatose state, the real answer is, of course, that she remained all that time under the same continuous domination and constant surveillance of her daughter as before. The shackles once placed upon her could not thus be broken. She herself said that Mrs. May icould not allow her to make another will.
Notwithstanding the foregoing lengthy recitals of testimony, there is much more, very much more, contained in the 2,000 pages of the record that could be cited in support of the contestants’ cause. For instance I have not referred to the testimony in regard to Mrs. May’s several attempts to induce the contestants’ witnesses, — the testatrix’s maid, chauffeur, and beautician — to testify on her side; Mrs. Carney, the beautician, stated that she said to her, “I will make it worth your while if you do.” I merely allude also in passing to the fact that when Mrs. Gallinger, the aged sister of the testatrix, refused to testify for Mrs. May, Mr. May wrote her a harsh letter stating that they would no longer make her the monthly payments which they had been sending her in accordance with the express request of the testatrix that they should take care of their “Aunt Net and Aunt Bert.” Here, too, as in the case of the tearing up of the stubs of the checks to Herbert’s children, they were showing how much they cared about carrying out the solemn adjurations of their deceased mother. It is noteworthy that they were unable to procure a single worthwhile witness among the relatives, friends, maids, nurses, chauffeur, and other intimates of the testatrix, who would testify on their behalf, and would say that Mrs. May’s relations with her mother and her conduct toward her and domination over her were other than as testified to by all the witnesses.
The cumulative effect of the testimony as a whole clearly indicates that Mrs. May had a feeling of extreme hostility to her sister-in-law, and partly because of that fact and partly because of her avaricious urge to obtain as much as possible for herself and her own children she succeeded in coercing her mother into making a will which was not only not in accordance with
The most curious fact in this litigation is that, while the trial judge carefully and properly charged the
Order Per Curiam, November 10, 1953:
A majority of the Court being of opinion that the costs of this litigation should be paid out of the corpus of the estate, the decree affirming the judgment is modified by adding thereto the words: “All costs to be paid out of the estate.”
Reference
- Full Case Name
- May v. Fidelity Trust Company, Appellant. Frank Will
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published