In Re Estate Of Mark Lester Besola, Amelia Besola

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedNovember 8, 2022
Docket56205-7
StatusUnpublished

This text of In Re Estate Of Mark Lester Besola, Amelia Besola (In Re Estate Of Mark Lester Besola, Amelia Besola) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Estate Of Mark Lester Besola, Amelia Besola, (Wash. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Filed Washington State Court of Appeals Division Two IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON November 8, 2022 DIVISION II In the Matter of the Estate of MARK No. 56205-7-II LESTER BESOLA,

Deceased.

AMELIA BESOLA,

Petitioner,

v.

ERIC PULA, individually and as personal UNPUBLISHED OPINION representative of the Estate of Mark Lester Besola; UC DAVIS VETERINARY CATASTROPHIC NEED FUND,

Respondents,

KELLY McGRAW, individually; JULIA BESOLA-ROBINSON, individually; KARE KITSAP ANIMAL RESCUE AND EDUCATION; BRANDON GUNWALL; JOHN DOES 1-20; and FIDELITY BROKERAGE SERVICES, LLC, an interested party,

Respondents below.

CRUSER, J.—Amelia Besola appeals the trial court order denying her motion to unseal

certain records in her will contest claim that she brought in her brother Mark Lester Besola’s estate

case and the order denying her motion for reconsideration.1 She argues that the trial court erred

when it (1) entered an August 13, 2021 order sealing certain records without making the required

1 None of the respondents filed a response in this matter. No. 56205-7-II

findings, (2) denied her motion to unseal these records despite being presented with a stipulation

that was signed by counsel for all parties, (3) denied her motion to unseal these records once the

trial court disclosed the protected facts in findings of fact and conclusions of law filed well after

the trial court denied the motion to unseal and motion for reconsideration, and (4) denied the

motion to unseal because unsealing these records was consistent with the constitutional principle

of open justice. Because Besola does not establish that the trial court erred, we affirm.

FACTS2

Before Mark’s3 death, Brandon Gunwall, Eric Pula, and Kelly McGraw had been living on

Mark’s property at Lake Tapps. Mark, who “had significant health problems,” died unexpectedly

on January 1, 2019. Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 187. For several months following Mark’s death Pula,

Gunwall, McGraw, and others continued to occupy Mark’s property.

Two days after Mark’s death, Besola was appointed as the personal representative of

Mark’s estate. In late April, Besola evicted Gunwall, Pula, McGraw, and others from Mark’s

property.

On May 8, 2019, Pula filed in the superior court a will that Mark had purportedly signed

in December 2018. This will was purportedly witnessed by two individuals, one of whom was

Robyn Peterson. “On September 16, 2019, Brandon Gunwall, as the beneficiary of [Mark’s] dogs,

petitioned for the December 2018 Will to be admitted to probate.” CP at 191. The will was

2 Some of these facts are drawn from the trial court’s unchallenged findings of fact, which are verities on appeal. In re Est. of Jones, 152 Wn.2d 1, 8, 93 P.3d 147 (2004). 3 Because Mark and Amelia Besola share the same last name, we refer to Mark by his first name to avoid confusion.

2 No. 56205-7-II

admitted to probate on September 26, 2019. Pula replaced Besola as the personal representative of

the estate.

Besola filed a petition opposing the probate of the December 2018 will on multiple

grounds, including fraud. Pula and counsel for the estate filed counterclaims against Besola.4

At some point during the discovery process in the will contest, it was discovered that the

December 2018 will had been produced using an online site, FormSwift.com. 5 The trial court

issued a subpoena for the FormSwift records potentially related to the purported December 2018

will.

According to the trial court’s later findings of fact, FormSwift produced records that

included a draft will for Mark and a draft living will for Mark created on April 19, 2019, on a

FormSwift account that was in Peterson’s name. The records also showed that these items were

paid with Peterson’s credit card.

On May 28 and July 16, 2021, the trial court entered protective orders covering the records

produced by FormSwift. According to Besola, the protective orders required that “‘[u]nless

otherwise agreed in writing by the parties and Robyn Peterson, or unless otherwise ordered by the

Court, access, copying, and/or dissemination of’” this information was limited. CP at 104

(alteration in original).

4 On December 4, 2020, the trial court removed Pula as personal representative after finding reason to believe that revocation was appropriate under RCW 11.28.250. The trial court appointed Michael B. Smith as the new personal representative. 5 FormSwift “is a legal forms website on which customers can purchase customized estate planning materials, including Last Wills and Testaments.” CP at 190.

3 No. 56205-7-II

On August 13, 2021, the trial court issued an order sealing the FormSwift records. The trial

court found “that sealing is justified by identified compelling privacy or safety concerns that

outweigh the public interest in access to the court record.” CP at 109. The order further stated that

the sealed records could not be opened unless allowed by court order.

Four days later, Stuart Morgan, Besola’s counsel in her capacity as the discharged

administrator of Mark’s estate, e-mailed trial court staff a proposed stipulation and order to unseal

the records sealed by the August 13, 2021 order. In his e-mail, he stated that “[a]ll representatives

of parties have signed except for [Daniel Walk, counsel for Gunwall,] who declines to sign but I

believe also does not object to entry of the proposed stipulation and order.” CP at 164. Morgan

asked that the court advise him if it “would prefer that [he] present this in some different format

or manner.” Id.

On August 20, 2021, at the trial court’s behest, Besola filed a motion to unseal the records

sealed by the August 13, 2021 order under GR 15(e)(3). Besola asserted that “[a]ll counsel of

record since August 13 have agreed to stipulate or agree that the FormSwift [records] be unsealed.”

CP at 111. Morgan’s supporting declaration stated that he had prepared the stipulation and agreed

order and submitted it to the court. But he noted that this stipulation was not signed by Walk,

counsel for Gunwall, “who believes his signature is not required.” CP at 116.

The trial court heard this motion on September 3, 2021. During this hearing, the court asked

Morgan why he needed access to the sealed records. Morgan responded that he needed to see the

records so he could prepare his defense to the counterclaims against Besola. Morgan suggested

that the records could be relevant to the issue of whether the December 2018 will was fraudulent

and that they would “bear directly on [his] defense of the counterclaims in the case.” Verbatim

4 No. 56205-7-II

Report of Proceedings at 6. But Morgan could not explain exactly how the records related to the

defense of the counterclaims beyond the fraud determination because he had never had access to

the records.

Tyler Shillito, the attorney representing Besola on the will contest, stated that he also

needed to have the records unsealed to pursue his case-in-chief and that these records were the

most crucial records in the case. Shillito also commented that it was impossible to file a substantive

motion about the contents of the records while they remained sealed.

Reminding the trial court that the original reason for the protective order was “to protect

Ms.

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