The institution of testament in emergency circumstances as the atypical form of expression of will of the testator: relevant issues of law enforcement

Abstract

Succession law implies several types of testament, one of which is the testament in emergency circumstances. From the scientific perspective, such form of expression of will is referred to as atypical and acts as a subject of this research. Such method of documentation of the last will of the testator is intended to facilitate the usual form of testament due to the extraordinariness of the situation the person found himself in. However, the analysis of the civil legislation of the Russian Federation and judicial practice demonstrates that the norms on the testament in emergency circumstances contain more impediments than facilitation of the procedure. This determines the problem of the legal phenomenon under review. The article examines the norms of succession law that regulate the testament in emergency circumstances, doctrinal provisions on the effectiveness of its legal regulation, as well as judicial practice on the matter for the detecting the problems and ambiguities of this legal phenomenon, which is given special attention, since all shortcomings of the legislator are usually manifested through law enforcement. The novelty of this research lies in analysis of the practice of application of the institution of testament disposal in emergency circumstances in order to determine the range of relevant issues and proposals aimed at the improvement of legal regulation of the atypical form of testament. The conclusion is made on the possibility of using electronic or technical means for certification of testament in emergency circumstances; refutation of the provisions of the Chapter 2, Paragraph 1 of the Article 1129 that stipulate the validity of such testament, presence of two witnesses, and handwritten expression of last will with the signature of the testator as mandatory requirements; need for legislative consolidation of the signs of extraordinariness of situation, and determination of situations that should be regarded by law enforcement officials as life-threatening, which also include sudden deterioration of health.