Solon v. Slater

Summary

The court held that the Probate Court's decree admitting the decedent's will precluded the plaintiff from relitigating her tortious interference with inheritance claim, because the decree necessarily established that the will reflected the decedent's actual testamentary wishes and was not the product of undue influence. The decree did not preclude the plaintiff's tortious interference with contractual relations claim because the Probate Court did not decide whether the defendants interfered with the proposed amendment to the antenuptial agreement. Res judicata likewise did not apply to that claim because the Probate Court lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate the tort or award damages. The court reversed in part and remanded for further proceedings on the contractual-interference claim.