Estate of Scherrer

7 N.W.2d 848, 242 Wis. 211, 1943 Wisc. LEXIS 199
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 9, 1942
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 7 N.W.2d 848 (Estate of Scherrer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Scherrer, 7 N.W.2d 848, 242 Wis. 211, 1943 Wisc. LEXIS 199 (Wis. 1942).

Opinion

MaRtin, J.

Isabel Scherrer died October 12, 1940, at the age of fifty-six. She had never married and had lived at the home of her parents in the city of Milwaukee from childhood. Her father died in 1928. After his death she, her widowed mother, and a bachelor brother continued to live in the family home. The mother died at the age of eighty-seven, a few months after testatrix. The brother has since died. Testatrix left school at about the age of sixteen, and learned the millinery trade. She continued.in that business until she retired in 1931. tier business activities were very successful and she had accumulated an estate estimated at between $40,000 and $50,000. Her estate is now appraised at $35,364.44. She was regarded by her relatives, friends, and business associates as an intelligent, capable, and successful business woman.

In December, 1923, she met Harry L. Manion. She was then forty and he was fifty-nine years old. They later became engaged and kept company until the time of her death. *214 Manion liad been divorced before lie met testatrix. They never married because she had been reared in the Catholic faith and her mother, who was a devout Catholic, opposed her marriage to a divorced man.

About two years before her death, testatrix became ill. Her illness was characterized by loss of weight, pain in the rectum, particularly during bowel movements, nervousness, and inability to sleep. She took sedatives to enable her to sleep and to overcome her pain. These sedatives were barbiturates, dispensed under the proprietary names of seconal, veronal, and sodium amytal. In August, 1939, she consulted Dr. W. J. Carson, who specialized in surgery. She then 'complained of pain in the rectum, constipation, and inability to sleep. She informed Dr. Carson that she was taking medicine at times at night, and also cascara. Upon his examination, he advised hospitalization. Three days later she entered Columbia Hospital in Milwaukee. X rays of the bowels and an examination disclosed that she suffered from internal and external hemorrhoids, two fissures, a stricture of the rectum, and dilation of the large bowel. An operation was performed and after nine or ten days in the hospital she returned to her home.

Some months prior to' her operation she .was at the Foss Sanitarium in Wauwatosa, where she stayed only a week. While there she appeared nervous and upset. She worried about her bowel trouble. A couple of weeks later she went to Shorewood Sanitarium and stayed there a week. On May 29, 1939, she went to St. Joseph’s Hospital. An X ray was taken. She complained that she did not sleep, and, at her insistence, she was given two' seconal tablets at night, and she was able to sleep.

During her illness it was usual for testatrix to take sedatives upon retiring to relieve her pain,and induce sleep. , At times she took excessive amounts. Testatrix generally arose in the morning between 10 and 11 o’clock. Frequently she *215 appeared dopey and staggered like an intoxicated person, at times requiring assistance in dressing and eating her breakfast. At times her speech was thick and hesitant and she was unable to carry on a connected conversation with those in the household. She would brighten up as the day wore on. She would read in the afternoon and at times would discuss with her mother things she had read about. She frequently discussed with her mother her investments and mentioned by name certain of them, which are now listed in the inventory of her estate.

Dr. A. W. Ladewig, who was the Scherrer family physician and attended testatrix in her lifetime, testified in behalf of contestants in substance as follows: That he had been going to the Scherrer home for a couple of months before Isabel’s death, sometimes every-night or once or twice a week, and generally between midnight and 2 o’clock in the morning; that he could not have much conversation with her because she was generally half asleep; that at times he gave her hypodermic injections of hyoscine, which is a nerve sedative and quiets the nerves, especially those in the brain; that it quiets the brain centers and- functions and the patient goes to sleep; that he would give her one hundredth of a grain, which would last two or three hours; that he saw other sedative drugs at her home and told her more than once that if she took more of them she would die; that at times he found testatrix in confusion and under the influence of medicine, on which occasions she could not talk very plainly, her responses were like a person about half asleep; that he was called to the Scherrer home frequently at night during the period from July 16, 1940, to the date of her death; that during this period her mental operations were not as clear as they were years ago.

He testified that testatrix called at his office during the last six months prior to her death, during which times he observed her; that on such occasions he thought she had sufficient mental capacity to know what her property was, to know who *216 her relatives were, and to know what she was doing ; but that at times when he was called to her home at night he did not think her mind was such that she could form a rational judgment, because she was doped up and half asleep. Dr. Ladewig issued the death certificate, in which he gave the immediate cause of death as acute gastroenteritis and chronic myo-carditis.

The evidence in behalf of contestants discloses many occasions during a year or more prior to testatrix’s death when she was in such mental condition that she could not make a valid will, but the precise questions here are: (1) Whether deceased on June 29, 1940, had sufficient mental capacity to make the will in question, and (2) whether the execution of said will was procured by undue influence exercised over and upon her. On both issues contestants have the burden of proof by clear, convincing, and satisfactory evidence. Will of Schaefer, 207 Wis. 404, 411, 241 N. W. 382; Will of Grosse, 208 Wis. 473, 476, 243 N. W. 465; Estate of Sawall, 240 Wis. 265, 3 N. W. (2d) 373.

George A. Affeldt, the attorney who drew the will of June 29, 1940, testified to- three conferences which he had with testatrix in connection with making her will. He testified in substance as follows: That on June 26, 1940, he received a telephone call from a lady who introduced herself over the telephone as Isabel Scherrer; that she asked him for an appointment in reference to drafting a will; that he told her to come to his office that afternoon at about 2 o’clock, which she did; that he had not known her prior to that time; that she came to his office alone and was there about an hour and a half; that she had a will which she had signed on some previous occasion and had some notes; that she wanted to< make some changes in the previous will, and that he made some notes as he discussed the matter with her; that he had a free discussion with her without reference to the previous will; that she told him what provisions she wanted in the will he was to prepare; that they talked about the amount of her estate and what it con *217 sisted of. This first conference at Mr. Affeldt’s office was on Wednesday afternoon, June 26, 1940. Referring to that conference, Mr. Affeldt testified:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

William L. Burkhalter v. Steven P. Burkhalter
841 N.W.2d 93 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2013)
Mueller v. Gaudynski
175 N.W.2d 272 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1970)
Rausch v. Buisse
146 N.W.2d 801 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1966)
Sharp v. Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Corp.
118 N.W.2d 905 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1963)
Kreyer v. FARMERS'CO-OPERATIVE LUMBER CO.
117 N.W.2d 646 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1962)
Kreyer v. Farmers' Co-operative Lumber Co.
18 Wis. 2d 67 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1962)
Guldhaug v. Martin
82 N.W.2d 196 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1957)
Strahlendorf v. Strahlendorf
76 N.W.2d 334 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1956)
Stormon v. Weiss
65 N.W.2d 475 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1954)
Estate of Bauer
59 N.W.2d 481 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1953)
Schwoch v. Bickner
259 Wis. 425 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1951)
King v. Jorgenson
29 N.W.2d 69 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1947)
Higgins v. Kelley
27 N.W.2d 762 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1947)
Washburn v. Washburn
22 N.W.2d 512 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1946)
Kondziella v. Estate of Sowka
19 N.W.2d 898 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1945)
Patterson v. Jensen
17 N.W.2d 423 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1944)
Kirch v. Krainovich
12 N.W.2d 688 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1943)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
7 N.W.2d 848, 242 Wis. 211, 1943 Wisc. LEXIS 199, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-scherrer-wis-1942.