New York Court of Appeals
In the Matter of the Estate of James J. Walker, Mary A. W. Narita, Appellants Richard H. Bernstein
February 14, 198564 N.Y.2d 354
Summary
The Court affirmed the Appellate Division, holding that although the testator intended to bequeath the adoption decrees to his children, enforcement of that bequest is barred by New York public policy under Domestic Relations Law § 114, which protects the privacy of natural parents. A dissent argued that the public policy should not extend to private papers and would reverse the decision.