Haverstick v. Haverstick (Majority, with Dissenting)
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In this case, the Supreme Court of Arkansas was hearing an appeal regarding the distribution of the estate of John Haverstick Sr., specifically an annuity that he had purchased. The appellants were John Sr.'s sons, John Jr. and Jerry, and the appellee was John Sr.'s surviving widow, Frances. The sons argued that the lower court erred in finding that John Sr.’s will had changed the beneficiaries of the annuity, citing three reasons: (1) the will did not claim to change the beneficiaries; (2) even if the will claimed to change the beneficiaries, it was ineffective because it did not comply with the contractual procedure for making changes; and (3) under Act 925 of 2021, attempts to change annuity beneficiaries by will are ineffective.
The Supreme Court of Arkansas ultimately decided to affirm the lower court's ruling. The court held that John Sr.’s will did change the annuity's beneficiaries because it sufficiently identified the annuity policy and expressed an intent to change how the proceeds would be distributed upon his death. The court rejected the argument that the will was ineffective because it did not comply with the contractual procedure for making changes, noting that the policy of allowing a testator to modify a beneficiary designation to life insurance policies also applies to the will in this case. Finally, the court found that Act 925 of 2021 does not apply retroactively, and thus it did not render the changes in the will ineffective.
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