Tower Estate’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 3 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Testator made constant reference throughout his will to members of his blood, i.e., “children”, “grandchildren”, “issue” and “lineal descendents”. The sole exceptions to “blood” relatives were his own wife and the surviving spouses of children and grandchildren, to whom he carefully and precisely authorized his children and grandchildren to appoint to the limit of one fourth of their respective shares of income. It is clear, therefore, that testator knew how to provide for blood relatives and for strangers to the blood; and that if he wished to include “adopted children” of a grandchild, he could have, and would have, expressly said so. Testator’s intention, affirmative or negative, governs. Nothing in the will shows an intention to include the petitioners.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 323 Pa. Super. 235 - Estate of Tower