{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"lillian-singleton","displayName":"Lillian Singleton","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"mo:sc99592:2023-01-31","opinionId":"1e996786-068f-58ee-92f3-b34c4a2bb1d4","slug":"lillian-singleton-respondent-v-sheila-singleton-et-al-appellants-c99592","caseName":"Lillian Singleton, Respondent, vs. Sheila Singleton, et al., Appellants.","caseNumber":"SC99592","court":"mo","courtLabel":"Supreme Court of Missouri","decisionDate":"2023-01-31","year":2023,"display_summary":"Lillian Singleton sought to reform a property deed, executed with her deceased husband J.C., claiming a scrivener's error mistakenly included their son Dennis as a remainder interest holder in Tract I, contrary to their estate planning intent. The circuit court reformed the deed, finding Lillian's testimony credible and applying the principle that equity may reform a voluntary instrument. The Missouri Supreme Court reversed, holding that the circuit court erroneously declared and misapplied the law because the deed contained a unilateral mistake, which, absent fraud, deception, or bad faith, will not be reformed.","primaryTopic":"property-real-estate","topicSlugs":["property-real-estate","civil-procedure","estate-probate","contracts","appellate-procedure"],"outcomeNorm":"mixed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=192036","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/lillian-singleton-respondent-v-sheila-singleton-et-al-appellants-c99592","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"real-estate","label":"Real Estate","href":"/practice-areas/real-estate","score":38,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: real-estate","topic: property-real-estate","text: deed"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/real-estate"},{"slug":"corporate","label":"Corporate Law","href":"/practice-areas/corporate","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: contracts"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/corporate"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: civil-procedure","topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"respondent"}]}