Undue Influence in California Will and Trust Contests

 

Undue Influence in California Will and Trust Contests

California defines undue influence in the Civil Code. Specifically, Civil Code Section 1575 states:

“Undue influence consists:

1. In the use, by one in whom a confidence is reposed by another, or who holds a real or apparent authority over him, of such confidence or authority for the purpose of obtaining an unfair advantage over him;

2. In taking an unfair advantage of another’s weakness of mind; or,

3. In taking a grossly oppressive and unfair advantage of another’s necessities or distress. [Enacted 1872]”

Undue influence will be presumed, in California, in many cases where a family member initiates estate planning for an elderly relative; this is even more the case if the if the new plan is unfair to the elderly relative or benefits the one family member exercising undue influence to the detriment of other family members who would otherwise be expected to share in the elderly relative’s estate.

Proof of undue influence is made by the introduction, at trial, of circumstantial evidence; the trier of fact must decide based on the inferences shown by the evidence. This is because it is a rare case to have direct testimony of the undue influence.

An inference of undue influence may exist if it is proven that the dispositions of the elderly relative in the will are at odds with the elderly relative’s stated intentions. It can also be inferred if there is a close relationship between the bad actor and the elderly relative, and it can be shown that the bad actor took an active role in obtaining the will or trust that is being contested.

In one case the California Supreme Court decided to deny probate to a will where it was shown that the deceased elder had a weakened mental and physical state when the contested will was signed, the bad actor had opportunity and actively procured the contested will and made misrepresentations to the deceased elder concerning other relatives (the bad actor’s siblings). Estate of Garibaldi (1961) 57 C2d 108

Posted by Theodore M. Hankin

When Litigating a Will or Trust Contest in California, What Evidence do I look for?

A typical case will involve a family member contacting me to complain about the dispositions in a will or trust of a deceased relative, with allegations that another family member or a caregiver “got” to the deceased relative to unduly benefit themselves at the expense of the other family members.

To properly analyze the case, I obtain copies of all prior testamentary documents (to determine if the terms are at variance with the current documents, and how great a variance there is).

I will also obtain all of the available medical records for that deceased relative, for the relevant time period. That includes hospital records, nursing records, physician records, records of mental health professionals, and any other medically related records that can provide insight as to the physical and mental state of the deceased relative at the time the will or trust was executed by them.

I don’t pretend to be a medical professional. Rather, I rely on the services of a forensic psychiatrist to assist me in the analysis, and to suggest other areas of discovery that may be useful in assisting that forensic psychiatrist in reaching an opinion regarding both the susceptibility of the deceased relative to undue influence and the actual use of undue influence in procuring the contested will or trust. This is also true when the capacity of the deceased relative to engage in a testamentary act is called into question (capacity and undue influence being regular bedfellows).

To the extent necessary, I will take depositions of the family members or bad actors in question, as well as of physicians involved in the direct treatment of the deceased relative (assuming that the deceased relative was under doctor’s care).

On occasion, the bad actor gives in, withdraws from consideration the trust or will in question, and the matter is settled…. on other occasions, the only resolution that can be had is by trial.

I always bear in mind that everyone influences the actions of everyone else; it is only when the influence appears to rise to the level of undue influence that I have work to do.

Posted by Theodore M. Hankin

Elderly Abused at 1 in 3 Nursing Homes

Stop Elder Abuse NJ

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689

“Reports of serious, physical, sexual and verbal abuse are “numerous” among the nation’s nursing homes, according to a congressional report released today”.

“To enforce the standards, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contracts with the states to conduct annual inspections of nursing homes. The states also are required to investigate individual abuse complaints. The report’s statistics were derived from these state inspections”.

Is once a year adequate? Are these inspections actually thorough? More needs to be done to stop this terrible tragedy.

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