Undue Influence: Definitions and Applications - California Courts ...
Undue Influence: Definitions and Applications - California Courts ...
Undue Influence: Definitions and Applications - California Courts ...
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of specialization, will likely find themselves working with people over 60, the age group usually<br />
dealt with only by trust <strong>and</strong> estate attorneys. According to Welden-Smith (2009) (Appendix B),<br />
attorneys will need to determine if their clients are free of undue influence in such matters as<br />
validity of deeds, contracts, powers of attorney, estate planning, wills, <strong>and</strong> testamentary gifts,<br />
which, when contested usually involve allegations of undue influence or fraud. <strong>Courts</strong> will also<br />
be dealing with more elders <strong>and</strong> with more commonly, with people over the age of 85.<br />
Research Design<br />
The project addressed the need for a definition of undue influence in the Probate Code<br />
that can be referred to by probate courts, Adult Protective Service personnel, Public Guardian<br />
personnel, <strong>and</strong> other community agencies in <strong>California</strong> to determine when proposed conservatees<br />
are unable to resist undue influence. An anticipated outcome was a checklist or assessment<br />
measures that would establish benchmarks or a rating system for determining whether undue<br />
influence had occurred or was likely to occur in the immediate future. For example, the<br />
measures might enumerate 6 to 10 criteria for undue influence, of which 4 to 6 must be present.<br />
Such measures would increase the likelihood that petitions for conservatorship in which undue<br />
influence is alleged are appropriate <strong>and</strong> identify cases of undue influence that may otherwise<br />
have been missed. Providing courts with such a statute in the Probate Code could potentially<br />
reduce the need for costly <strong>and</strong> protracted legal proceedings, which take place now in order to<br />
establish if undue influence has occurred in conservatorship petitions or will contests. Were<br />
undue influence to be defined in the Probate Code, specifically in the conservatorship section,<br />
consistency in the h<strong>and</strong>ling of cases would be further enhanced.<br />
included:<br />
The one-year project used both quantitative <strong>and</strong> qualitative approaches. Primary activities<br />
1. A review of <strong>California</strong> state law related to undue influence;<br />
2. A review of 50 states’ legislation to determine whether their probate codes contained a<br />
definition of undue influence;<br />
3. A review of the social service <strong>and</strong> psychological literature on undue influence;<br />
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