Question:

Hazel is 84, and suffers from debilitating arthritis. Sometimes, she can barely walk. Every time Hazel has been unable to get around, her neighbor Ruth cooks and cleans for her until she feels better. Hazel has offered to pay Ruth, but Ruth always declines. One day when Hazel is feeling well, she and Ruth eat out in a restaurant, and Hazel tells Ruth she is going to leave her 50,000 in her will. Six months later, Hazel dies without leaving a will. Can Ruth successfully sue Hazel's estate for 50,000? State the legal reasons for your answer.

Response:

In this case Hazel and Ruth did not make a bilateral agreement to the 50,000 for services rendered. There was no bilateral agreement for services and the payment of the money inHazel's will. By having Ruth verbally decline...