In re Estate Leonard

Memorandum Opinion

On a petition for instructions to a trustee, the Hillsborough County Probate Court (Cloutier, J.) received extrinsic evidence to resolve an ambiguity in the terms of a testamentary trust. The court found that the testatrix had intended “lineal descendants” of her son to include two of his children who had been adopted by their stepfather, following the divorce of their natural parents and prior to the execution of the will. Finding no error on any of the three issues raised on appeal by the testatrix’s son or on the one issue raised by the adopted children on cross-appeal,…