Braun v. Brown

After suffering a stroke and being hospitalized at 67, Schmidt handed his longtime companion Braun (plaintiff) the key to his safe-deposit box in front of a witness, telling her everything in the box belonged to her and that she would no longer need to work; Schmidt died three weeks later. When the estate's administrator, Brown (defendant), refused to honor Braun's claim to the box's contents, Braun sued, and the trial court ruled the key-giving was a valid gift causa mortis (a gift made in contemplation of death); Brown appealed.