Dohrmann v. Swaney

George Dohrmann (plaintiff), a married physician, befriended an elderly, childless widow, Virginia Rogers, and signed a contract under which Rogers would give him nearly $5.5 million in exchange for Dohrmann incorporating her surname into his sons' names so it would continue after her death. Dohrmann instead only added Rogers's surname as an extra middle name for each son, leaving nothing in the contract to stop the sons from later dropping it. Rogers, then 89 and later diagnosed with Alzheimer's, signed with no witnesses present and without consulting her longtime attorney, Swaney (defendant), who as executor of her estate later challenged the agreement's validity after her death.