In un-contested probate proceedings, there are all sorts of issues you can resolve via affidavits without incurring the costs and delays inherent to hauling in live witnesses for an evidentiary hearing. By contrast, the minute probate proceedings morph into litigation the rules of evidence apply in full force. Which means you can’t get away with using affidavits unless there’s some sort of applicable hearsay exception. For example, the 5th DCA recently made the point here that affidavits won’t cut it to prove a “lost” will. You need live witnesses for that kind of case.
In a will contest the estate has the initial burden of proving the formal execution and attestation of the will. Once the estate’s done that, the burden of proof then shifts over to the contestant. But what do you do if the will at issue was executed years (perhaps decades) earlier and you simply can’t track down the witnesses? In the past it was an open question as to whether you could use an affidavit to establish prima facie the formal execution and attestation of the will. Here’s how this Legislative White Paper explained the problem:
In proceedings contesting the validity of a will, Florida Statutes § 733.107 provides that “the burden shall be upon the proponent of the will to establish prima facie its formal execution and attestation.” Occasionally, at the time of testator’s death, witnesses to the execution and attestation of a will are dead or otherwise unavailable (i.e. they cannot be located, are incapacitated, or perhaps have no recollection of the signing ceremony). Because the rules of evidence are applicable to probate proceedings, a self proving affidavit or oath of an attesting witness taken outside of the probate proceedings could be excluded as hearsay making it difficult or impossible for the proponent of the will to meet the burden of presenting prima facie proof of due execution and attestation in a will contest, particularly for wills that were executed many years or even decades ago. Should the present unavailability of the attesting witness, who has previously given a sworn statement regarding due execution and attestation, thwart the testator’s constitutional right to dispose of his property by will as recognized by the Florida Supreme Court in Shriners Hospital For Crippled Children v. Zrillic, 563 So.2d 64 (Fla. 1990). The proposed legislation amends Florida Statute §733.l07 to permit self-proving affidavits and oaths of attesting witnesses executed in compliance with the Florida Probate Code to be admitted into evidence to establish the prima facie evidence needed to meet the initial burden of proving formal execution and attestation in contested probate proceedings.
Fear no more, the hearsay problem’s been fixed statutorily in the following new sentence to Florida Statutes § 733.107:
A self-proving affidavit executed in accordance with s. 732.503 or an oath of an attesting witness executed as required in s. 733.201(2) is admissible and establishes prima facie the formal execution and attestation of the will.
“But wait, there’s more!”
Palm Beach County board certified trusts and estates attorney Pete Matwiczyk responded to this blog post with an insightful warning: the new legislation’s a good start, but not a complete fix. To understand why you need to read Mr. Matwiczyk’s comments. With his permission, I’ve quoted them below.
This legislation puts a patch on the problem, but not a complete fix. I brought the issue to the attention of Lee McElroy and the probate litigation committee of RPPTL. Lee was the prime mover and (I believe) the draftsperson of the white paper. After the legislative patch, only wills with self proving affidavits, or with living witnesses who are available to give an affidavit can be saved. Be very careful about the wills in your will vault, especially if they were drafted by the long retired and deceased partner who drafted wills before the adoption of the Florida Probate Code, in 1974, which allowed for and popularized the use of self proving affidavits.
Consider a challenge that is otherwise completely without merit, but that succeeds only because the proponent cannot meet the strict evidentiary requirements to establish due execution. The legislation falls short. In that case, even the new 733.107 does not save the document after the burden shifts to the proponent.
Section 733.107 is derived, in part, from the UPC. States other than Florida have developed or adopted solutions so that wills that otherwise qualify as valid wills under the statute of wills, are not rendered invalid just because a challenge is filed and there are no witnesses to overcome the hearsay rule. For example, not all states have adopted an absolute burden shift approach once a contest is filed. The burden shift need not be absolute, but could be the subject of a proffer type proceeding, just like was enacted as part of 736.0802 (10) prohibiting payment of trustee attorney fees.
Another possible Florida specific remedy would be an amendment to the evidence code, for a limited exception (of some type) but reaching beyond the probate code, into the evidence code. According to what I heard, the evidence code was a more ambitious undertaking that would have apparently taken too long with an unpredictable outcome.