Register of Wills v. Sterling

Joseph Coulbourne Sterling, appellee, initiated this declaratory judgment action in the Circuit Court for Somerset County against the personal representative of his deceased uncle’s estate. He asked that the court declare his receipt of various shares of stock in well known corporations, a present from the decedent during the donor’s lifetime, to be a valid inter vivos gift. This claim is not disputed either by the personal representative or the beneficiaries of the estate. The appellant, the Register of Wills for Somerset County, was granted leave to intervene by the trial court (Maryland…