Slusarenko v. Slusarenko

147 P.3d 920, 209 Or. App. 307, 2006 Ore. App. LEXIS 1780
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedNovember 15, 2006
DocketPR000200, PR010060, CV010443; A123318
StatusPublished

This text of 147 P.3d 920 (Slusarenko v. Slusarenko) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Slusarenko v. Slusarenko, 147 P.3d 920, 209 Or. App. 307, 2006 Ore. App. LEXIS 1780 (Or. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

ORTEGA, J.

These consolidated cases involve a dispute over the estate of Jack Slusarenko,1 and particularly the farm that he owned in Milton-Freewater. To resolve plaintiffs’ appeal, we must decide whether a 1998 will and bargain-and-sale deed were the products of undue influence by Wilma Slusarenko, Jack’s second wife. To resolve Wilma’s cross-appeal, we must decide whether the 1998 will was revoked by operation of law due to Jack and Wilma’s remarriage two weeks after the will was executed. Reviewing the record de novo, Sangster v. Dillard, 144 Or App 210, 212, 925 P2d 929 (1996), adh’d to as modified on recons, 146 Or App 105, 931 P2d 815 (1997), we affirm on the appeal and reverse on the cross-appeal.

Because the record in this case is lengthy and convoluted, we begin with a brief overview. Plaintiffs are all but one of Jack’s children from his first marriage. Jack’s first wife, Juanita Slusarenko, died in 1986. Jack and Wilma married in 1990, separated and reconciled in 1991, separated again in 1997, divorced in January 1998, and remarried in December 1998. In the latter part of his life, Jack suffered from serious health problems. Between 1986 and 1998, he made five different written estate plans, including a will executed shortly before his remarriage to Wilma in 1998 that left all his property to Wilma. At that same time, Jack signed a bargain-and-sale deed (the 1998 deed) transferring the farm from himself individually to himself and Wilma with a right of survivorship. Jack died in July 2000. After Wilma claimed to be the sole beneficiary of his estate and the sole owner of the farm, litigation ensued.

We turn to a more detailed, chronological examination of the record, beginning with Jack’s relationship with his children and his estate plans before he met Wilma. Jack loved his children but had some disputes with them. He was particularly close to his daughter Patricia Shaver, who [310]*310helped him with Medicare and other issues from the time that Juanita became ill. He described Patricia as being an angel during Juanita’s illness and also expressed gratitude for the help of his daughter Terri Eisele around that time. Jack had a sometimes difficult relationship with his son Donald Slusarenko, at times expressing pride and at times complaining. Jack and Donald occasionally argued about the farm, particularly in the late 1980s, when Jack was experiencing financial problems. Jack sometimes expressed frustration with his sons Ronald Slusarenko and David Slusarenko for not calling or visiting more often.

Jack owned three parcels of real property: the “home place,” which included the home and about 10 acres of orchard, and two other orchards totaling about 30 acres. He had no written estate plan before 1986, when he executed a will leaving everything to Juanita or, if she predeceased him, to his children. In 1988, after Juanita’s death, he executed a will that left 90 percent of his estate to his children and 10 percent to his church.2

Plaintiffs testified that, while they were growing up, they constantly worked on the farm; they believe that Jack intended to keep the farm in the family. Despite making comments that support that intention, Jack nevertheless discussed selling his orchards soon after Juanita died. All of the orchards, including the home place, were listed for sale in 1989 and 1990.3

Around early 1988, Jack’s sister and her husband, Julie and James Overstreet, introduced Jack and Wilma. Jack was 26 years older than Wilma. David acknowledged that, based on what he heard from his siblings, he felt suspicious of Wilma’s motives because she was so much younger than Jack and had no financial assets. In April 1988, Jack wrote that he had been sad since Juanita’s death, but that he had been spending time with Wilma and she took his mind off [311]*311his pain. He added that his children “seem to resent me keeping company with her. But [I] think I have my life to live & I’m a lot happier now since I met her.”

Jack and Wilma married in March 1990. Jack did not tell his children ahead of time, and tensions soon developed between Wilma and the children. According to Jack’s friend Rosa Howton, Wilma did not encourage Jack to be with his family and “seemed to want to keep Jack in a box.” After the marriage, Jack spent less time with his daughters, and his relationship with Donald became strained. In 1990, when Donald and Jack had a dispute over the farm finances, Donald told Wilma that the dispute was none of her business, and Wilma responded, “Your dad doesn’t need you anymore. He can farm the places without you.” Nevertheless, Donald continued farming with Jack into 1991, and Donald continued to help from time to time after that.

Jack and Wilma also had a turbulent relationship. Jack complained to his children and his friends about Wilma’s cooking, her failure to get a job or help with the farm work, and her spending. After Jack and Wilma married, the house and yard were extremely dirty and ill-maintained. However, Jack’s brother-in-law, Overstreet, who saw Jack and Wilma together once or twice a week, believed that, although their relationship was stormy at times, Jack thought highly of Wilma. Both Overstreet and Wilma’s son, Tawin Compton, felt that Jack usually got his way.

In 1991, Jack and Wilma separated after 14 months of marriage. In dissolution proceedings that were filed but not finalized, Wilma sought possession of the house and personal property that Jack claimed as his separate personal property, some of which plaintiffs identified as belonging to their mother. After the children learned of Wilma’s claim, their relationship with her worsened. However, Wilma and Jack subsequently reconciled.

After that separation, Wilma was no longer welcome in Patricia’s home, although Jack still continued to visit Patricia there, including times when Wilma dropped him off for dinner. Jack told Overstreet that he was upset that his children would not invite Wilma when they invited him to dinner. Wilma generally was not invited to family holiday [312]*312gatherings after 1991 or 1992. Conversely, Patricia testified to a belief that Wilma did not consider Jack’s children to be part of her own family, and one of Jack’s grandsons testified that he did not see his grandfather again after an awkward encounter with Wilma in 1992.

In 1993, Jack and Wilma began meeting with an attorney, Christine Wallace, to discuss estate planning. Wilma made most of the appointments. Jack met with Wallace five to 12 times, including a couple of occasions when he met with her alone. According to Wallace, Wilma wanted the home place, either through a will or a deed creating joint ownership. Wallace felt that Wilma was haranguing Jack and that he was emotionally afraid and trying to pacify her. Jack had concerns about Wilma’s finances and did not think that he wanted to leave the house to her. However, he never gave Wallace firm enough direction for her to start putting plans down on paper.

Wilma videotaped one of the meetings, during which Jack expressed various grievances against Juanita and his children, including that his children gave Wilma no respect and felt that she should receive nothing under his will. Wallace advised Jack that, if he died intestate, his estate would be divided, and Wilma would have problems with the children. When Wallace observed that it could be hard to sell the family farm, Jack pointed out that the orchards had been up for sale for several years already.

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Related

Knutsen v. Krippendorf
862 P.2d 509 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1993)
Ramsey v. Taylor
999 P.2d 1178 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2000)
Sangster v. Dillard
925 P.2d 929 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1997)
Ryan v. Colombo
712 P.2d 139 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1985)
In Re the Estate of Reddaway
329 P.2d 886 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1958)
Portland General Electric Co. v. Bureau of Labor & Industries
859 P.2d 1143 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1993)
Sangster v. Dillard
931 P.2d 815 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
147 P.3d 920, 209 Or. App. 307, 2006 Ore. App. LEXIS 1780, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/slusarenko-v-slusarenko-orctapp-2006.