In re the Probate of a Paper-Writing Purporting to be the Last Will & Testament of Barnett

2 N.J. Misc. 135, 1924 N.J. Misc. LEXIS 9
CourtEssex County Surrogate's Court
DecidedFebruary 19, 1924
StatusPublished

This text of 2 N.J. Misc. 135 (In re the Probate of a Paper-Writing Purporting to be the Last Will & Testament of Barnett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Essex County Surrogate's Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Probate of a Paper-Writing Purporting to be the Last Will & Testament of Barnett, 2 N.J. Misc. 135, 1924 N.J. Misc. LEXIS 9 (N.J. Super. Ct. 1924).

Opinion

Flastnagan, J.

A paper-writing purporting to he the last will and testament of James G. Barnett, having been offered for probate to the surrogate of Essex county by Tillie O. Barnett, was by him admitted to probate.

The estate of the deceased consists of a large amount of bolh real and personal property-

There were no children of deceased, his nearest blood relative being Ms nephew, Fred M. Barnett.

The will left the entire estate to- said Tillie O. Barnett, the wife of deceased, to the exclusion of his said nephew, who now appeals to this court from the surrogate’s court, petting ii]> as grounds of appeal lack of testamentary capacity, fraud and undue influence.

The dec-eased was a- man sixty odd years of age, of inferior, undeveloped mentality, bordering on the weak-minded. He was amiable, trustful, readily influenced by those about him, of either superior or more determined mentality, and had [136]*136been accustomed all of his life to be led and to rely upon others to think and act.for him and to be guided by their views. His father was a man of influence and wealth. Every opportunity for advancement which wealth and position.offer was open to him, but his| character and ability were such that he availed of none of them. He inherited a fortune from his father and his father’s brother, and spent his life in luxury, without occupation, ambition or definite object and in a kind of mental stagnation.

Because he was his father’s son and inherited Iris property he took his father’s place as a director in the Murphy Varnish Company and as a trustee in the' Central Methodist Episcopal Church. At the meetings of those boards he played the part of the “dummy director,” never rendering a decision or passing judgment on anything that arose, but assuming an attitude of silent assent.

When he met the proponent he was in frequent contact with his father’s former- associates, people of character and standing in the community, whose lives were admirable and whose purposes were righteous and commendable. He was religious, charitable, quiet, kind and amiable.

Such was the decedent, James G. Barnett. Such were his associations at the time he met the proponent. He had been previously married- His wife had died, and he .was engaged to be married to another lady.

On the other hand, Tillie O. Barnett, the proponent, was a woman designing, worldly wise and of many adventures. Her associates were far removed in character from those of deceased. Divorced by two former husbands, she was no stranger to scandal and notoriety. Her marriage to deceased was her fourth marriage. On the stand she testified she had been married three times, and on being confronted with the facts pretended she had overlooked or forgotten one husband. Though Earle was neither her maiden name (that being Jannich), nor the name of any of her. husbands, she testified she could not remember whether she had ever been married under that name. She was careless and frequently [137]*137untruthful under oath, and her testimony impressed me on the whole as of little value.

The respective ages, characters, training and experience of the parties to the transaction in question must necessarily throw light on the one’s capacity to exert and the other’s capacity to resist undue influence.

Tu the ease at bar the training and experience of proponent shows her to he fully capable and qualified-to dominate and control a man of the capacity, training and experience of the deceased. In Moore v. Blauvelt, 15 N. J. Eq. 367, the ordinary says: “It [undue influence] must necessarily depend, in each case, upon the means of coercion or influence possessed by one party over the other; upon the power, authority or control of the one, the age, the sex, the temper, the mental and physical condition, and the dependence of: the other” (p. 368).

In the spring of 1919 an acquaintance was “scraped up” between the proponent and deceased on the fishing pier at JBelmar, where deceased owned a summer residence. She was not over-delicate about her intentions and was overheard to say to some other women, in answer to- their inquiry as to what she was doing there, that she was “hunting for some rich old geaser.”

Tire acquaintance thus initiated was followed up by proponent, by visits by her to Barnett at his residence, where he was living alone with his domestics.

During the period following the meeting on the fishing pier proponent declared, on an occasion in New York, that she was going to marry a rich old man from Jersey and that “sometimes when you are married to an old man they don’t live very long and then you can enjoy all their money.” At another time she said that if she “got the old bool)” one Raymond Miller should have a nice present. After the wedding deceased gave Raymond a watch.

The “courtship” which was going on during these expressions of proponent culminated in the marriage of the parties on March 24th, 1920.

[138]*138After tlie marriage was consummated proponent began to weaken and absorb the deceased mentally, and to acquire his property. She obstructed access to him by his former associates; those of his old family servants who were willing to stay she gradually displaced; she stopped his charities and ended the religious contributions, which his father had been accustomed to make before him and which he had inherited as a custom from his father; she assumed to regulate who should talk to him, personally or on the telephone; directed his mail to be delivered to her and took control of his business affairs.

Deceased was, of course, what is called “an easy mark,” and because of' this fact it may be that he was better off without some of his former friends and associates. He may have suffered petty impositions on the part of his servants, but the new way reflected the mind of Mrs. Barnett, while the old way reflected the mind of Mr. Barnett. Asked by one of his friends why he was not “seen about” and did not “come around,” Barnett responded that he was a prisoner and could not be around and do what he had been accustomed to do.

These circumstances and other satisfy me that deceased was subjected almost completely to proponent’s control and that he did nothing affirmative of any moment except under her prompting.

Proponent’s control, as already stated, extended to the management of his properties and business affairs, such as they were. The relations were confidential- As to his realty, a substantial part of it was procured to be transferred into her name, and such as he did not transfer to her she either sold or was endeavoring to sell and convert into personalty, a formi readily acquired bjr gift and more certain of inheritance by a wife where there are no children.

The testimony shows declarations by the deceased of his intention to make liberal provision for his nephew, Ered M. Barnett, the contestant, and the evidence shows that proponent successfully contrived to prevent contemplated visits by deceased to his nephew at the latter’s home in Chatham. [139]*139Toward the close of decedent’s last illness, while he was in the hospital in New'York, expecting to die, and where he did die, proponent telephoned nightly to contestant, telling him not to come to see his uncle, stating either that it was undesirable or that l>e was not wanted by his uncle.

The will in question was made nearly two years before deceased died.

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Related

In re the Probate of the Last Will & Testament of Morrisey
111 A. 26 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1920)
State v. Samuels
104 A. 322 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1918)

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Bluebook (online)
2 N.J. Misc. 135, 1924 N.J. Misc. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-probate-of-a-paper-writing-purporting-to-be-the-last-will-njsurrctessex-1924.