In re Estate of Hines
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
715 A.2d 116 (1998)
Charles Hines's will left the family home as a life estate to his wife Ruth, with the remainder to their three children, including William, whose interest passed to his own children Caryn (defendant) and Gary after his death. After Ruth's death, the court appointed Caryn as personal representative of Charles's estate, and Caryn sold the family home to herself without informing the other beneficiaries, Marjorie Burke (plaintiff) and Sallie Archie; Marjorie sued upon learning of the sale, and the trial court granted her summary judgment voiding it.
Whether a personal representative's purchase of an estate asset for herself, made without court approval or the knowledge of the estate's other beneficiaries, is voidable by those beneficiaries even if the purchase price was fair.