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 Probate Court necessarily determined that the will reflected the decedent's actual testamentary wishes and was not procured by undue influence. The decree did not preclude the plaintiff's tortious interference with contractual relations claim because the Probate Court had not decided whether the defendants interfered with a proposed amendment to the antenuptial agreement. Res judicata likewise did not apply because the Probate Court lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate that tort claim or award damages, so the judgment was reversed in part and remanded.