Palmer v. Palmer

On this appeal from a decree of the Probate Court disallowing the purported will (the will) of Annette C. Palmer (the decedent) on the grounds of testamentary incapacity and undue influence, the proponent, Manford L. Palmer, the husband of the decedent and sole beneficiary of the will, challenges (1) the admission of certain evidence and (2) the factual and legal underpinnings of the decree. 2 The evidence is reported, and the judge made a report of material facts. 3

We discuss relevant factual detail later in this opinion. We address first the evidentiary questions. For this purpose, suffice…