Goodman

I

Factual and Procedural Background

Edward Goodman, founder of Goodman Lumber Company (GLC), died on September 2, 1990. Edward left most of his approximately $ 100-million-value estate to his two daughters, Joan Zimmerman and Gloria Clumeck. Edward left his son, Charles Goodman, one-third of an antique automobile collection, a bequest valued at approximately $2 million. Charles filed a complaint seeking the imposition of a constructive trust and revocation of trust amendments and a petition for revocation of probate alleging, inter alia, that his father lacked testamentary capacity because he suffered from a mental disorder within the meaning of Probate Code section 6100.5, subdivision (a)(2). Specifically, Charles sought to establish that Edward suffered from depression with psychotic features that emanated from a paranoid personality disorder. He endeavored to prove that Edward had an encapsulated delusion pertaining to Charles, i.e„ a delusion relating only to Charles. Additionally, Charles filed a complaint upon a rejected creditor’s claim. At the conclusion of the presentation of his case at trial, Charles dismissed with prejudice all claims based upon the rejected…