What Happens When a Will Goes Missing? Planning for When a Plan Disappears

Most Recently Updated July 8, 2018.

“I cannot find a copy of my mother’s will. What do I do?”

Lost Will in Pennsylvania – Procedures to Admit a Copy

If you can’t find your loved one’s Will – or can only find a copy of the Will – what happens? Let’s look at an example of a judge addressing a typical case. In Falcone Will, the Orphans’ Court Division of Chester County analyzes what happens when beneficiaries attempt to probate a copy of a lost Will in Pennsylvania.

An Example:

The key facts are as follows:

Deceased’s children and children’s cousins have history of animosity
The Deceased orally tells both children and cousins of specific gifts
Deceased discusses drafting Will in 2002 with close friend
Copy of alleged 2002 found at deceased house at death
2002 copy submitted to Register of Wills for probate
Children challenge validity of 2002 Will copy

Courts prefer original documents.

When attempting to probate a copy of a “lost will,” a presumption exists that the original was intentionally destroyed or revoked. In order to overcome this presumption, it must be shown that:

an original will was actually executed,
contents of the original are substantially the same as the copy, and
testator had not revoked or destroyed the original prior to death.

In Pennsylvania, the proponents of the Will copy must produce two competent witnesses, testifying to both the execution and contents of the original.

What was the outcome of our example case?

In Falcone Will, cousins of the testator’s children attempted to probate the Will copy. This supposedly left them significantly more than they would otherwise receive. The cousins ultimately failed, and the 2002 Will copy was denied probate. Here is why.

The decedents oral bequests, and statements of intention to draft a Will were insufficient to establish validity of the copy. As noted above, in order to submit a will copy to probate, two witnesses must testify to the execution and content of the original. In Falcone, the cousins could not produce one witness. Therefore, the presumption remained that the testator destroyed or revoked the will.

What can I do to make sure this does not happen for my family?

One simple solution to avoid the outcome in Falcone – trust safekeeping of your original Will with an Experienced Chester County Estate Planning Attorney.

Further Estate Litigation Questions?

The lost will is only one of many Estate Litigation issues our firm addresses. Consequently, if you want to learn more, please read my more detailed article, Trust and Estate Litigation All You Need to Know.

In Conclusion: Lost Will in Pennsylvania – Procedures to Admit a Copy

I hope that this article was helpful in explaining what to do if you cannot locate a loved one’s will. Further, I included links to even more detailed information on my website. Therefore, please contact me and let me know how I did. Certainly, your comments and questions are welcome!

Let our Lawyers help walk you through what can be a confusing process. To begin with, call to speak to one of our experienced Litigation Attorneys. By all means, our lawyers are ready to answer your questions. In fact, feel free to contact our office for a free consultation. Ultimately our goal is to put our 25 years of estate litigation experience to work for you.

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