In-Laws Lose Challenge to Man’s ‘Whited Out’ Will

(CN) - An angry, dying man was not delusional when he eliminated his in-laws from his will by whiting out their names and writing "void," "bastard" and "get nothing" on the document, an Arkansas appeals court ruled.

The family of the late Wanda Goza challenged the will of her husband, Bill Potts, who died in 2006.

They claimed Potts was delusional when he modified his 1989 will. Potts wrote "void" on each paragraph, wrote "bastard" and "get nothing" on the will, and whited out the in-laws' names.

The trial court ruled that the Goza family failed to prove that Potts was delusional, and the Division II Court of Appeals affirmed.

"Bill had no children, and he knew that his wife and every member of his family of origin were dead," Judge John Mauzy Pittman wrote. "He certainly knew who was listed in his old will and was adamant that they not inherit from him. Appellants failed to prove that Bill lacked testamentary capacity."

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