In re Estate of Harris

In this action, the surviving children of the decedent disputed both the informal probate process brought by their stepfather as well as the validity of a 1997 will that devised to the stepfather all of the mineral rights from their mother’s estate. The district court granted summary judgment for the stepfather and concluded that the contestants had not offered sufficient evidence to challenge the decedent’s testamentary capacity or to support their allegations of undue influence. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the district court (1) did not err by permitting the stepfather to initiate probate proceedings on the decedent’s estate fourteen years after her death; and (2) did not err in granting summary judgment to the stepfather on the contestants’ objections. View "In re Estate of Harris" on Justia Law