Julius Williams v. Carson Bridges, Jr.

── Julius Williams v. Carson Bridges, Jr. ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arkansas Date: April 08, 2026 Category: General Cite as 2026 Ark. App. 221 ARKANSAS COURT OF APPEALS DIVISIONS IV & I No. CV-24-590 JULIUS WILLIAMS Opinion Delivered April 8, 2026 APPELLANT APPEAL FROM THE JEFFERSON COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT V. [NO. 35PR-19-313] CARSON BRIDGES, JR. HONORABLE MAC NORTON, JUDGE APPELLEE AFFIRMED STEPHANIE POTTER BARRETT, Judge The appellant, Julius Williams (“Julius”), appeals from the April 2, 2024 order of the Jefferson County Circuit Court admitting a copy of a lost or destroyed will to probate and appointing an executor of the estate as well as the July 31, 2024 order denying his motion for reconsideration. On appeal, Julius argues that the circuit court erred in admitting a copy of a will to probate because the presumption of revocation was not rebutted and in denying his motion for reconsideration. We affirm. Carson Bridges, Sr. (“Carson Sr.”), fathered three children: Carson Jr., Julius, and Alexis. In 1995, Carson Sr. executed a will that left nothing to Julius, one dollar to Alexis, and the remainder of his estate to Carson Jr. After marrying Bobbie Bridges (“Bobbie”) in 2000, he executed a second will in May 2017 that provided $50,000 and a life estate in the marital home to Bobbie; $5,000 to Julius; $10,000 to Alexis; and the remainder of the estate to Carson Jr. He also executed a power of attorney naming Carson Jr. as his agent. In 2018 or 2019, Carson Sr. was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.1 In July 2019, Bobbie petitioned for guardianship over Carson Sr., and in January 2020, the circuit court entered an order appointing Bobbie as guardian of his person and estate. Carson Sr. thereafter resided in a nursing home until his death in January 2023. Following his death, proceedings were initiated to convert the guardianship to an estate administration. During those proceedings, it was established that although a copy of the 2017 will existed, the original could not be located. Julius filed a petition requesting that the estate be administered intestate, asserting that because the original 2017 will could not be found, it was presumed revoked. The circuit court set the matter for a hearing to determine whether any will should be admitted to probate. At the February 28, 2024 hearing, the parties presented evidence regarding the existence of the 2017 will and the circumstances surrounding the absence of the original. Carson Jr. testified that the 1995 will was on file at the courthouse, and he received a copy of the 2017 will after its execution. He stated that, to his knowledge, Carson Sr. did not execute another will after 2017, and both the 1995 and 2017 wills contained provisions for his siblings. Carson Jr. testified that Carson Sr. told him that the purpose of the 2017 will was to ensure that Bobbie was taken care of. 1 The guardianship order states that the decedent was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease; however, the circuit court and the testimony characterize the condition as dementia. 2  Carson Jr. testified that after the execution of the 2017 will, he accompanied Carson Sr. to retrieve it from the attorney’s office and later to a bank, where his father accessed a safe deposit box. Carson Sr. subsequently gave Carson Jr. a copy of the will. Carson Jr. did not see the original will and believed it remained in the safe deposit box until his father’s death. Carson Jr. explained that Carson Sr. kept important documents in multiple locations, including