Testamentary capacity

Testamentary capacity

In the common law tradition, testamentary capacity is the legal term of art used to describe a person's legal and mental ability to make or alter a valid will. This concept has also been called sound mind and memory or disposing mind and memory.

Contents

Presumption of capacity

Adults are presumed to have the ability to make a will. Litigation about testamentary capacity typically revolves around charges that the testator, by virtue of senility, dementia, insanity, or other unsoundness of mind, lacked the mental capacity to make a will. In essence, the doctrine requires those who would challenge a validly executed will to demonstrate that the testator did not know the consequence of his conduct when he executed the will.

Certain people, such as minors, are usually deemed to be conclusively incapable of making a will by the common law; however, minors who serve in the military are conceded the right to make a will by statute in many jurisdictions. In South Africa, however, one acquires testamentary capacity at the age of 16 years.

Requirements

The requirements for testamentary capacity are minimal. Some courts have held that a person who lacked the capacity to make a contract can nevertheless make a valid will. While the wording of statutes or judicial rulings will vary from one jurisdiction to another, the test generally requires that the testator was aware of:

  1. The extent and value of their property
  2. The persons who are the natural beneficiaries
  3. The disposition he is making
  4. How these elements relate to form an orderly plan of distribution of property.[1][2][3] [4] [5]

The legal test implies that a typical claimant in a will contest is a disgruntled heir who believes he or she should have received a larger share than they did under the will. Once the challenging party meets the burden of proof that the testator did not possess the capacity, the burden subsequently shifts to the party propounding the will to show by clear and convincing evidence that the testator did have the requisite capacity.

Proof of testamentary capacity

Those who contest a will for lack of testamentary capacity must typically show that the decedent suffered from mental unsoundness that left them unable to remember family members or caused them to hold insane delusions about them. Dead Man's Statutes sometimes restrict evidence which can be admitted concerning transactions with the decedent.

Lawyers for people whose testamentary capacity might be called into question often arrange for a will execution to be video taped. On video, they ask the testator about his property and about his family, and go over the contents of the testator's will.

Along with resolving an examinee's testamentary capacity, a forensic specialist observes for signs of undue influence by a concerned party that exploits an emotionally vulnerable individual who might otherwise be cognitively intact. The testamentary capacity matter is most frequently raised posthumously, when an aggrieved heir contests the will entered into probate. For this reason, the forensic psychiatrist or forensic psychologist studies the testatrix’ cognition through videotape record of the drafting of the will, or by reviewing email, letters and other records.

Even when a testator are found to have lacked testamentary capacity due to senility, loss of memory due to the aging process, infirmity or insanity, courts will sometimes rule that the testator had a "temporary period of lucidity" or a "lucid moment" at the time of the execution of the testamentary instrument. Such finding will validate a will that would otherwise be denied probate.

A way to forestall a will contest would be to have a self-proving will, in which an affidavit of the witnesses to the will specifically swear or affirm that the will was prepared under the supervision of an attorney.

See also

Foonotes

  1. ^ Jesse Dukeminier & Stanley M. Johanson, Wills, Trusts & Estates, Sixth Edition, Aspen Publishers, 2005
  2. ^ "Sound Mind and Memory - What Does this Phrase Mean?" from The Calhoun County, Michigan state government website. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  3. ^ See also "sound mind and memory" at The Free Dictionary. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  4. ^ See also "disposing mind and memory" at The Free Dictionary. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  5. ^ Legal help mate website. Retrieved September 18, 2008.

References

  • Addington v. Wilson, 5 Blackf. (Ind.) 137, 61 Am.Dec. 81 (Sup. Ct. Ind. 1854)
  • Allman v. Malsbury, 224 Ind. 177, 65 N.E.2d 106 (Sup. Ct. Ind. 1946)
  • Hays v. Harmon, 809 N.E.2d 460 (Ind. Ct. App., 2004)

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • testamentary capacity — n: the capacity in executing a will to understand the nature and extent of one s property and how one is disposing of it and to recognize the natural objects of one s bounty Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. testamentary …   Law dictionary

  • testamentary capacity — The capacity to accomplish the purpose of making a valid will as determined objectively from the standpoint of the purpose. The capacity of a person making a will to know the natural objects of his bounty, to comprehend the kind and character of… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • testamentary capacity — /tɛstəmɛntəri kəˈpæsəti/ (say testuhmentuhree kuh pasuhtee) noun Law capacity (def. 7) in relating to executing a will, as in being of sound mind, being free from undue pressure from any party, etc …  

  • testamentary capacity — noun : the mental competence necessary for making a will …   Useful english dictionary

  • capacity — ca·pac·i·ty n pl ties 1: a qualification, power, or ability (as to give consent or make a testament) created by operation of law 2: an individual s ability or aptitude; esp: mental ability as it relates to responsibility for the commission of a… …   Law dictionary

  • testamentary — I adjective by way of a will, bequeathed by will, contained in a will, devised by will, distributed by will, given by testament, hereditary, patrimonial, set forth in a will, transferred by a legacy, transferred by bequest, transferred by devise… …   Law dictionary

  • testamentary — Pertaining to a will or testament; as testamentary causes. Derived from, founded on, or appointed by a testament or will; as a testamentary guardian, letters testamentary, etc. A paper, instrument, document, gift, appointment, etc., is said to be …   Black's law dictionary

  • testamentary power — The power to make a will existing under the law as a matter of privilege. Hamilton v Morgan, 93 Fla 311, 112 So 80. Convicts may have the capacity and yet be denied the power to make a will. 57 Am J1st Wills § 51. See testamentary capacity …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • capacity — Holding space, as the capacity of a ship or freight car; ability; legal competency; a person s ability to understand the nature and effect of the act in which he is engaged and the business which he is transacting. Tiger v Lozier, 124 Okla 260,… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • capacity of testator — See testamentary capacity …   Ballentine's law dictionary

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