If you are looking to contest a will in Ontario, you have come to the right place. Disagreeing with a “final hour” change to a family will have costly and sometimes unhappy consequences.

The time frame for contesting a will in Ontario is set forth by the Estate Administration Tax Act. This act stipulates that a will can only be challenged within 180 days from the date a certificate of appointment of an estate trustee is issued. This time limit referred to as the “limitation period,” aims to ensure stability and certainty in the administration of estates.

It’s essential to keep in mind that there may be exceptions to the 180-day limitation period. For instance, if an individual can demonstrate that their ability to contest the will was hindered by circumstances beyond their control, the court may permit the challenge.

Hastening the process of contesting a will is advisable, as waiting can make it harder to gather evidence and build a strong case. If you have any questions or concerns regarding contesting a will in Ontario, it is highly recommended that you consult with a seasoned estate attorney.

Brothers Livio and Franco Quaggiotto took their dispute to court. It went to the Court of Appeal for Ontario (ONCA) in February 2019. This happened after their mother revised her will.

This happened 19 months before her March 2016 death. Eighty-seven-year-old Maria Quaggiotto left the residue of her estate to her sons. A last-minute codicil in August 2014 changed all of that.

If you want to hire a lawyer because of improper execution, mental capacity, or lack of testamentary capacity, contact us below.

The estate lawyers can also help with issues around undue influence or problems with the estate trustee.

On what grounds can you challenge a will?

Lack of testamentary capacity- This means that the person making the will was not of sound mind and was not capable of understanding the consequences of their actions at the time the will was executed.

Undue influence– This means that someone exerted pressure on the person making the will to include certain provisions that were not their own wishes.

Fraud or forgery- The meaning of this is that the will was not created by the person making it or was altered in a fraudulent manner.

Failure to comply with formalities- the will was not properly executed according to the legal requirements in the jurisdiction where it was made.

Lack of knowledge and approval- the person making the will was not aware of the contents of the will or did not approve of its provisions.

Contest a Will in Ontario

The residue is everything left over after any debts, taxes, fees, and funeral or administration expenses are paid. It includes anything acquired after a will was written. Prior to the codicil, which is a signed and witnessed change, both sons shared the residue equally. The change gave Livio Quaggiotto the full residue.

ONCA agreed the mother intended to “even up” the brothers’ assets. This was done by leaving the residue to the less financially advantaged brother.

But Franco Quaggiotto argued the Ontario Superior Court of Justice trial judge erred in deciding his mother understood both the codicil and full value of her estate. Having “testamentary capacity” requires the testator, or person making the will, to be aware of their assets’ value and magnitude.

General knowledge of her estate

He stated that although his mother had a general knowledge of her estate, she did not know and had not been told what its value was.

The Court of Appeal in Ontario disagreed.

The appeal court found the mother’s solicitor’s assistant had handwritten notes about her holdings in the family corporations. A designated capacity assessor and practicing geriatric nurse consultant testified the mother understood her assets and net worth.

So did the solicitor who prepared the first will in 2011. Her long-time family physician testified she was fully capable of making decisions.

Unduly Influenced

Maria Quaggiotto’s assets were described at length in the codicil and the new solicitor and his assistant went over it “line by line”. In fact, the new lawyer sought the assessor’s opinion on her testamentary capacity and relied on the mother’s verbal instructions and handwritten letter in making the codicil.

ONCA cited the Supreme Court of Canada on competency in making its ruling:

“A competent testator does not have to know the precise makeup of her estate. She only needs to know in a general way the nature and extent of her property.”

While some “suspicious circumstances” were set out at trial, ONCA and the trial judge concurred that Maria Quaggiotto was not coerced or intimidating into making the codicil and loved both sons.

Is someone trying to get an interest in the estate? Or do you think the will had improper execution?

Ontario Estate Lawyers

For Franco Quaggiotto, contesting her will was expensive. Besides his legal fees, ONCA assessed him $20,000 in court costs, payable to his brother.

Before you contest a will, speak with a wills and estates lawyer. We can go over the will with you and give you timely legal advice.

Without a residuary clause stating what to do with an estate’s residue, it can fall under the Ontario Succession Law Reform Act. This applies when someone dies without a will. That means the court decides who inherits.

Heirs may be a spouse or, if there is none, the deceased’s natural or adopted children or other blood relatives.

Also, dying without a will has time and cost implications and the outcome may not be what you intended. Further, we encourage you to contact a lawyer if you don’t have a will or if your circumstances have changed since you wrote it.

If you don’t think someone had the mental capacity to change their will, let us know the story.

If you are trying to defend the will, the legal fees will often be paid out of the estate. However, if you are the one wanting to contest the will, you will have the pay an hourly rate.

Grounds To Contest a Will in Ontario

Were you promised something in person and it wasn’t in the will? That is not grounds to contest the will.

Everything needs to be in the will to be considered. Further, wills must be in written form.

It doesn’t matter if they wrote the will on paper or online. Therefore, as long as it is in written form and has two witnesses, it should be valid.

The most common reasons people contest wills are:

• Not understanding what they are doing (normally because of mental illness)
• Not taking care of a spouse or child
• Forcing the person to make a will using fear (the most common reason)
• The will is fake

Improper Execution Of The Will

Should you have multiple wills? A will is the departed’s last wish. Most people’s fear when dying is that someone will contest a will that they made. This is why courts are reluctant to overturn a properly executed will. The testator (the deceased) created two wills. Further, the courts can be challenged to decide whether to uphold one or both.

Having two wills can be smart if you have certain assets. For instance, shares in a private company go directly to beneficiaries and aren’t taxed on your death. A secondary will can include these. That makes it easier for your executor to deal with those assets separately from others, such as bank accounts, where probate taxes may be due.

Probate taxes add up. In Ontario, estates pay $5 per $1,000 for the first $50,000 of assets. Further, the legal fees are $15 per $1,000 for assets over $50,000.

Ontario Superior Court of Justice

When Sheilah and John Milne died in October 2017, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice decided that the couple’s primary wills were invalid.

The primary wills named certain assets to go to their heirs. Plus the wills allowed their executor to decide how to allocate any other assets that didn’t require a court’s approval.

The Milnes also had secondary wills. Also, those wills were similar to the primary wills and included the phrase “all property owned by me at the time of my death.”

Further, an allocation or “basket” clause in the primary wills gave the executor the power to decide which assets belonged to these secondary wills. Also, the ability to pick which assets were part of the primary wills.

If you need to contest a Will in Ontario, speak to a law firm.

Lack Of Testamentary Capacity

The probate court overturned the primary wills. First, the secondary wills included everything in the primary wills, meaning they overlapped.

Secondly, the primary wills gave the executor too much authority, the court decided. Ontario estate law requires that a will be clear about the “subject matter” or property being given to heirs.

Calling wills a trust, the judge ruled the primary wills could not give the executor the power to make decisions after the couple’s death.

Further, the judge said “It is not enough to say that the assets subject to the trust will be determined later and will then be governed by one will or the other,” he wrote.

Contest A Will In Ontario

The estate decided to appeal the decision.

Basing its decision on another recent case, Ontario’s Divisional Court disagreed that a will is a trust. And even if it was, the Milnes’ primary wills were clear. And that made them valid.

Ontario residents with two wills can now rest easy.

Be assured if you have multiple assets, ClearWay Law’s wills and estates lawyers can help you decide if having more than one will is a smart move.

Odds of winning contesting a will Ontario

The success rate of challenging a will in Ontario is subject to several factors, including the robustness of the case and the available evidence. Matters such as the validity of the will, the testamentary capacity of the person who made the will, and the credibility of witnesses can all impact the outcome of a will contest.

Unfortunately, it is challenging to predict the chances of winning a will contest with certainty, as every case is distinctive and dependent on its own circumstances and evidence. The court will assess all relevant evidence and render a verdict based on the law and the facts at hand.

Moreover, the outcome of a will contest can also be influenced by the quality of legal representation and the unique conditions of each case. It’s important to keep in mind that contesting a will can be a complex and lengthy process. To maximize your chances of success, it is advisable to seek the guidance of a seasoned estate lawyer in Ontario.