In Matter of Falkowsky, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, “affirmed a decree made after a nonjury trial which in effect granted objections alleging lack of testamentary capacity and undue influence, and denied the admission of the will to probate.”
The Court affirmed the Surrogate’s Court decision in which it found a lack of testamentary capacity alone, focusing on the evidence presented which “effectively demonstrated that the decedent did not understand the nature and extent of his property.”
Harold Falkowsky was hospitalized on December 1, 2014. Two weeks later, Harold apparently executed a last will and testament “in which he devised $20,000 to each of his sons, Ira and Jeffrey, 50% of the residue of his estate to charities, and the other 50% of his residue to his sister, Alice Sobel. Harold, the decedent, died on January 14, 2015, just a month after he executed the Will.
In March 2015, Alice petitioned for probate of the will and letters testamentary. Jeffrey, Harold’s son, filed objections to the probate of the will, alleging lack of testamentary capacity and undue influence.
After examining the evidence, the Court ultimately found that Alice failed to prove that the decedent possessed the requisite testamentary capacity under New York Law, “as she failed to establish that the decedent knew the nature and extent of the property of which he was disposing.”
See New York Court Conducts In Depth Analysis Of Lack of Testamentary Capacity Will Contest, Probate Stars, October 19, 2021.
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2021/10/new-york-court-conducts-in-depth-analysis-of-lack-of-testamentary-capacity-will-contest.html