In a probate proceeding involving a holographic will, the photocopy of the will is admissible as a duplicate.

In a probate proceeding involving a holographic will, the photocopy of the will is admissible as a duplicate.

• A. The photocopy is admissible as a duplicate if authenticity is not challenged.
• B. The photocopy is inadmissible; only the original may be admitted.
• C. The photocopy is admissible only if the original is lost.
• D. The photocopy is admissible only with authentication.

Answer: (A)

Duplications are treated as having the same evidentiary weight as the original document, as long as there isn’t a real dispute about authenticity. For a holographic will, a photocopy is simply a duplicate of the writing that the testator produced. If no one challenges that the copy accurately represents the original handwriting, the photocopy can be admitted and shown to contain the same content as the original. If authenticity were in doubt, the original would need to be produced to resolve that issue.

Duplications are treated as having the same evidentiary weight as the original document, as long as there isn’t a real dispute about authenticity. For a holographic will, a photocopy is simply a duplicate of the writing that the testator produced. If no one challenges that the copy accurately represents the original handwriting, the photocopy can be admitted and shown to contain the same content as the original. If authenticity were in doubt, the original would need to be produced to resolve that issue.