ביטול צוואה

The process of revoking a will is no small matter, and it is important to understand that in order to revoke it, one must strictly follow the provisions of the law and additional rules established in extensive case law. Family Court.

A will is a legal document In it, the individual directs how his property will be distributed after his death. In order for the will to take effect, it must be prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Inheritance Law.

Naturally, if the will was drawn up in violation of any provision of the law, then it will not enter into force and is subject to annulment.

However, a distinction must be made between situations in which the entire will will be revoked, and situations in which only specific sections of the will can be revoked, depending on the circumstances of each case.

Therefore, the cancellation of any clause does not result in the cancellation of all other clauses of the will, except when the clauses in question are inextricably linked to the canceled clauses, or when the testator would not have wanted them without the canceled clauses. This is stated in Section 38 (b) of the Law.

you The defects that can constitute grounds for the invalidity of a will It can be divided into two main types:

• Technical-procedural defects that occurred during the preparation of the will, including defects that contradict the instructions regarding the technical form of the will.
• Material defects that deal with the testator’s competence and his mental and emotional state at the time of drafting the will, as well as the material content of the will’s clauses.

Revocation of a will – examples of technical-procedural defects

The Inheritance Law lists four types of wills, specifying the conditions for each: a written will, a will before witnesses, a will before an authority, and an oral will, also known as a will that is subject to rescission.

The technical defects that may occur when drafting these wills are therefore different and varied, according to the conditions specified in the law regarding the manner in which each will is drafted.

Thus, for example, when it comes to a handwritten will – these defects can occur in the event that the will was not written entirely in the testator’s handwriting, or did not bear a date and/or signature in his handwriting.

When it comes to a will with witnesses – in the case where the will was made in the presence of only one witness, or it was made in the presence of both witnesses, but they were not present at the same time. When it comes to a will before an authority – when the will was not read to the testator in order for him to confirm its contents. And when it comes to an oral will – in the case where the testator, who is suffering from the disease, remains alive after one month from the date of making the will.

However, Section 25 (a) of the law states that even if there was some technical defect in the way the will was drawn up, contrary to the provisions of the law, then if the basic elements of a will were present, and the court had no doubt that it indeed reflected the free and true will of the testator, then the court may, in a reasoned decision, uphold the will and not annul it.

Section 25 (b) of the law specifies the basic elements of a will:

(1)   In a handwritten will – the entire will is written in the testator’s handwriting.
(2)   In a will with witnesses – the will is written and the testator brought before two witnesses.
(3)   In a will before an authority – the will was made before an authority or submitted to the authority, by the testator himself.
(4)   In an oral will – the will was spoken by the testator himself before two witnesses who heard his words while he was suffering from illness or when he saw himself, in circumstances that justified it, facing death.

Also, when it comes to an error that occurred when drafting the will, a distinction must be made between a technical error and a material error:

When it is a technical error – such as a clerical error or an error in the description of a person or property, in the date, number, account, etc., and it is possible to clearly determine the true intention of the testator, then the will should not be revoked, but the error will be corrected by the Registrar of Wills. inheritance  Or the Family Court, if the matter has been transferred to it. This is stated in Section 32 of the Law.

When it comes to a material error – if it is possible to clearly determine what the testator would have instructed in his will had the error not occurred, the court will correct the words of the will accordingly, and if this is impossible – the instruction is void. This is stated in Section 30 (b) of the law.

Likewise, an obscure will provision, the meaning of which cannot be understood, or from which it is unclear who the testator has commanded or what he has commanded – is also void, according to Section 33 of the Law.

Examples of material defects for revocation of a will

As stated, the essential defects deal with the testator’s competence and his mental and emotional state at the time of drafting the will, as well as the content of the will’s clauses.

The main condition for the will to become effective relates to the testator’s mental and physical fitness, and states that the will must be prepared of the testator’s free and full will, without any foreign influence, and when he is of completely clear mind.

Accordingly, Section 26 of the Law states that a will made by a minor or by someone who has been declared legally incompetent, or made at a time when the testator was unable to discern the nature of a will, is void.

Likewise, Section 30 (a) of the Law states that a will that was made due to force, threat, undue influence, trickery or fraud is also void. Section 35 of the Law further states that a will, other than an oral will, that entitles the person who made it or witnessed its making or otherwise took part in its making is void, out of the same concern that those beneficiaries actually unlawfully influenced the testator to bequeath his property to them, and contrary to his free will.

Regarding the contents of the will, Section 34 of the law states that a will provision whose execution is illegal, immoral, or impossible is also void.

Will revocation procedure

The revocation of a will can be done by the testator himself, or by a party other than the testator, through: Filing an objection to a request for a probate order.

When it comes to cancellation by the testator himself, Section 36 of the Law states that the testator may cancel the will in one of the following ways:

(a) Explicit revocation in the same form in which the will was drawn up:

Cancellation of a handwritten will – The testator must draw up a letter of revocation, and state in his handwriting that the will is void, along with a date and signature.
Revocation of a will in the presence of witnesses – The deedor must draw up a deed of cancellation, in which he will state his declaration regarding the cancellation, the date, and his signature before two witnesses, who will also sign the deed of cancellation.
Cancellation of a will before an authority – The testator must declare the cancellation of the will to the representative of the Authority or submit a letter of cancellation to it, with the representative of the Authority reading the cancellation to him, and he confirms it..  
Oral revocation of a will – The testator must orally declare that he is revoking his will in front of two witnesses who understand his language..   
 
(b) The destruction of the will, since there is a presumption under Section 36 (a) of the Law that “the testator who destroyed the will is presumed to have intended thereby to invalidate it.”

(c) Making a new will, even if it does not explicitly revoke a previous will, to the extent that the provisions of the new will contradict the provisions of the previous will, and do not add to it.

Read more: Prerequisites before objecting to the execution of a will

לחצו כאן לפניה וקבלת ייעוץ משפטי בענייני צוואה!

ביטול צוואה הדדית

צוואה היא אחד המסמכים החשובים ביותר שעורך אדם בחייו. בהתאם מומלץ מאוד לעשות זאת גם בגילאים צעירים, שהרי אף אחד מאיתנו לא יודע מתי יסתיימו חייו. באופן טבעי הרצון של כל אדם לגבי חלוקת נכסיו עשוי לשתנות עם הזמן. בהתאם קיימת האופציה של ביטול צוואה – וחשוב מאוד לעשות זאת נכון, על-מנת שצוואה ישנה שלא משקפת עוד את רצונו של האדם אכן תתבטל. משרד עורכי דין שרון סגל מסייע לכל מי שזקוק או זקוקה לעזרה בביטולה של צוואה ובכל פעולה אחרת הקשורה לצוואות וירושות.

דגשים חשובים לגבי ביטול צוואה

• ביטול בהתאם לדרך עריכת הצוואה – דרך אחת לבטל צוואה היא ביצוע פעולה הופכית, בהתאם לאופן עריכת הצוואה: אם הצוואה נערכה בפני נוטריון, יש לבצע גם את הביטול מול גורם משפטי זה. במקרה של צוואה בפני כתב, יש לערוך מסמך חדש, גם כן בכתב, ובו להצהיר על הרצון לבטל את הצוואה – בפני שני עדים. אם הצוואה הופקדה אצל רשם הירושות, מומלץ למשוך אותה
• עריכת צוואה חדשה – כשיש מספר צוואות, זו שנחתמה בתאריך המאוחר ביותר היא היחידה התקפה. בהתאם עריכת צוואה חדשה מבטלת באופן אוטומטי צוואה קודמת. ליתר ביטחון ניתן להוסיף סעיף שבו מכתב במפורט כי צוואה קודמת מיום כך וכך בטלה ומבוטלת.
• צוואה הדדית – במקרה של צוואה הדדית, הצד שמבקש לבטל את המסמך ישלח הודעה בכתב לבן/בת זוג עם הבהרה מפורשת על ביטולה של הצוואה ההדדית. אין צורך בהסכמת בן/בת הזוג, אלא ביידוע בלבד.
• מועד – ניתן לבטל צוואה בכל נקודת זמן שהיא.

ייעוץ מקצועי שיבטיח את ביטולה של הצוואה

חשוב להדגיש כי במקרה של ביטול צוואה שלא על-פי הכללים, בית משפט עשוי לקבוע כי הצוואה תקפה. בהתאם מומלץ לקבל ייעוץ מקצועי, של עורך דין שאחד מתחומי המומחיות שלו הוא צוואות וירושות. באופן כללי איש מקצוע מנוסה יכול להבטיח את מימוש רצונו המלא והעדכני של כל אדם, כך שאי אפשר יהיה לעוות אותו. במשרד עורכי דין שרון סגל מעניקים מגוון רחב של שירותים משפטיים הנוגעים לצוואות, לרבות התנגדות לצו קיום צוואה, הגשת בקשה לפסילת צוואה וסיוע בעריכת צוואות מדויקות ותקפות.