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Sacchetti v. McDermott

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District
Feb 10, 1989
538 So. 2d 127 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1989)

Opinion

No. 88-1465.

February 10, 1989.

Appeal from the Circuit Court, Pinellas County, Joseph P. McNulty, Acting Judge.

Patricia Fields Anderson of Rahdert Anderson, St. Petersburg, for appellant.

Andrew B. Sasso of McDermott Sasso, Largo, for appellee.


After a three-day nonjury trial, the trial judge entered an order denying the appellant's petition to revoke probate. The grounds for that petition were that the testatrix lacked testamentary capacity because of her addiction to alcohol and drugs, and that when the testatrix executed her will she was under the undue influence of the appellee. The appellee, who was the testatrix' attorney, was named as the sole beneficiary and personal representative of her estate.

The record contains ample, although conflicting, evidence to support the findings of the trial judge. This court may not retry a case or reweigh conflicting evidence submitted to a trier of fact, or reverse simply on the basis that a decision of the trier of fact is against the weight of the evidence. Tsavaris v. NCNB Nat'l Bank, 497 So.2d 1338 (Fla. 2d DCA 1986).

Further, we find that the trial judge correctly applied the appropriate law and the distribution of burdens of proof on the matter of undue influence as set forth in In re Estate of Carpenter, 253 So.2d 697 (Fla. 1971).

Having found the findings of fact supported by the record, and the law correctly applied, we affirm.

LEHAN and FRANK, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Sacchetti v. McDermott

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District
Feb 10, 1989
538 So. 2d 127 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1989)
Case details for

Sacchetti v. McDermott

Case Details

Full title:ARTHUR SACCHETTI, APPELLANT, v. ROBERT J. McDERMOTT, APPELLEE

Court:District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District

Date published: Feb 10, 1989

Citations

538 So. 2d 127 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1989)

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