Ross v. Henigson

204 Cal. App. 2d 82, 22 Cal. Rptr. 135, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 2222
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 25, 1962
DocketCiv. 25737
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 204 Cal. App. 2d 82 (Ross v. Henigson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ross v. Henigson, 204 Cal. App. 2d 82, 22 Cal. Rptr. 135, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 2222 (Cal. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

WOOD, P. J.

In this contest of will after probate, the contestants appeal from summary judgment in favor of defendants (respondents).

Lonni Ross made a purported will on October 23, 1957. She, a resident of Los Angeles County, 31 years of age, died on August 23, 1959, in Germany, while on a European tour. Her heirs at law are her parents, Mr. Hamilton Ross and Mrs. Henrietta Ross. The will was admitted to probate on September 22, 1959, without anyone’s contesting it. Her estate was of the value of approximately $100,000.

By the terms of the will she disposed of her property as follows: To her friend Joyce Green—her automobile, furniture, jewelry, and personal effects. To her friend Jack Green —$2,500. To her cousin Eleanor Cohn—one-fourth interest in certain real property. To her friend Robert Henigson— the residue of her estate.

Robert Henigson, who was named executor in the will, was appointed executor.

On March 17, 1960 (after probate), Mr. and Mrs. Ross, the parents of decedent, filed a contest of the will.

The allegations regarding the seven alleged grounds of contest were in substance as follows:

1. Contestants “are informed and believe” that the signing of the will was not made, nor acknowledged, by her in the presence of the witnesses; that she did not declare, in the presence of the witnesses, that the will was her will; that the witnesses did not sign the will at the testatrix’ request or in her presence.
2. At the time of executing the purported will, decedent was of unsound mind and was incompetent to make a will.
3. Contestants “are informed and believe” that the purported will was procured by the undue influence of defendants Henigson, and Joyce and Jack Green in that a confidential relationship existed between decedent and said defendants, *84 and the relationship was coupled with the activity of defendants in the preparation of the instrument, and the defendants occupied the position of fiduciaries toward decedent.
4. Contestants “are informed and believe” that the purported will was procured by the undue influence of said defendants in that a confidential relationship existed between decedent and defendants, and that defendants will unduly profit, and that they actively participated in the preparation of the will.
5. Contestants “are informed and believe” that the purported will was procured by the undue influence of said defendants in that. . . (the statements here made in this ground of contest are the same as the statements at a similar place in the 4th ground of contest). Contestants “are informed and believe” that said defendants entered into a conspiracy for the purpose of inducing the decedent to bequeath the major part of her estate to them. Defendants have been guilty of oppression, fraud, and malice.
6. Contestants “are informed and believe” that the defendants succeeded in substituting their will for the will of the decedent, and that defendants solicited the execution of the will, and by taking advantage of her grave condition of mind and body they succeeded in having the decedent sign the will.
■ 7. Contestants “are informed and believe” that the defendants made false representations concerning the contestants for the purpose of inducing decedent to make the will disinheriting contestants ,• that such representations were that contestants bore no love for decedent, and they were not interested in her welfare.

In the prayer of the contest, the contestants asked, among other things, for punitive damages for treble the value of the estate.

Defendants’ answers to the contest were, in substance, denials of the allegations as to the grounds of the contest.

Thereafter, defendant Henigson made a motion to strike that part of the prayer which asked for punitive damages. The motion was granted (apparently on the basis that in the probate proceeding the issue was not damages but whether the document was the will of decedent).

Defendants also made motions to strike the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grounds of contest for the reason those matters were sham and fictitious, were based upon false allegations, and were not brought in good faith, *85 and that maintenance of the contest on the grounds of lack of due execution of the will, and of undue influence and fraud in the execution of the will constitutes an abuse of process of the court.

Prior to making those motions, the defendant Henigson took the deposition of the contestants. Each contestant testified therein that he or she did not have any personal knowledge of the matters alleged on information and belief (i.e., the allegations regarding lack of due execution of the will, and regarding undue influence, conspiracy, malice, oppression, and fraud). They testified that the only information they had regarding those matters was information furnished by their former attorney who prepared the contest, who told them that he had made an investigation, but he did not state the details of the investigation.

In support of the motions to strike said six grounds of contest, the defendants referred to said depositions of the contestants, and they also submitted their own affidavits. In their affidavits they made statements regarding their acquaintance and association with testatrix, and they denied the charging allegations of the contest regarding their alleged influence and participation in making the will. They also said they did not know of the existence of the will until after the death of the testatrix, and they were not aware of her intention to make a will. The motions were granted, and the court made an order on August 24, 1960, striking the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grounds of contest from the petition to revoke the will. Appellants (contestants) make no contention on appeal regarding that order. It thus appears that the appeal herein relates only to the second alleged ground of contest (that decedent was of unsound mind and was incompetent to make a will).

Thereafter, defendants made motions for a summary judgment dismissing the petition to revoke the probate of the will. The motions were made upon the grounds that there was no genuine issue as to any material fact to be tried; and that decedent had testamentary capacity at the time of making the will on October 23, 1957.

The motions were granted, and the court made an order on November 23, 1960, dismissing the petition to revoke probate of will, and directing entry of summary judgment in favor of defendants. In that connection, the court made a finding that the second ground of the petition has no merit and there is no triable issue of fact. A summary judgment, filed No *86 vember 23, 1960, and entered November 28, 1960, provided that contestants take nothing by their said petition, and that defendants recover costs.

Contestants’ notice of appeal states that they appeal from the judgment entered on November 23, 1960.

Appellants contend that there was a triable issue of fact as to whether the testatrix had testamentary capacity.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
204 Cal. App. 2d 82, 22 Cal. Rptr. 135, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 2222, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ross-v-henigson-calctapp-1962.