Property Law Keyed to Dukeminier
White v. Brown
ProfessorTodd Berman
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
Facts
The Plaintiff filed an action against the Defendants, Helen Brown and others (Defendants), the remaining heirs of the testatrix, alleging that the Plaintiff was vested with fee simple in testatrix’s house by terms of the will. The will stated that the Plaintiff was to have the home to live in and not be sold. The Defendants claim that the Plaintiff was merely given a life estate in the home leaving the remainder to go to them under interstate succession. The lower court found the will unambiguously created only a life estate in the Plaintiff. The Supreme Court found that it was not clear by words alone the intent of the testatrix and declared that the rules of construction of a will along with the testatrix’ intent must be used to determine intent. The court stated unless the words and context of the will clearly evidences only an intention to carry a life estate, the will should be construed as passing the home in fee simple. The court exampled the language of the will and di d not see any evidence of a life estate or a remainder created by the termination of a life estate.
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