The Supreme Court criticized Payne for failing to present a single witness who could attest to the claim that he had lived with Geneva Johnson Duff, despite his assertions that he had been adopted by her in 1960.
Monrovia – The Supreme Court of Liberia has ruled in favor of Lare President Hilary R.W. Johnson in a property dispute case, overturning the verdict of the Probate Court that had favored Jessie S. Payne as the Administrator of the intestate estates of the late Geneva Johnson Duff and Victoria Johnson Maxwell.
By Victoria G. Wesseh, [email protected]
The case, which involved a legal dispute over the estates of the deceased relatives of Hilary R.W. Johnson, centered on the claim made by Jessie S. Payne, who alleged he was the legitimate heir to the estates and had been adopted by Geneva Johnson Duff.
However, the Supreme Court found that the Probate Court’s decision was “manifestly against the weight of the evidence.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling places the contested properties, including a 50-acre plot in the 7th Street Sinkor area and 48 acres in the Capitol ByPass Communities, in the possession of Hilary R.W. Johnson’s family members – Charles R. Johnson Jr., Frederick E. Johnson, Margaret Johnson, Cephas Johnson, and Jackie Johnson, who are nieces, grandnieces, and a nephew of the deceased sisters, Geneva Johnson Duff and Victoria Johnson Maxwell.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court criticized Payne for failing to present a single witness who could attest to the claim that he had lived with Geneva Johnson Duff, despite his assertions that he had been adopted by her in 1960.
The court also noted that Payne could not provide sufficient evidence to prove his adoption or eligibility to administer the estates.
The court ruled that the period Payne claimed to have lived with Geneva Johnson Duff from 1960 to 1983, when she passed away, was not substantiated, and Payne failed to demonstrate through credible evidence that he was qualified to administer her estate.
The ruling further clarified that Charles R. Johnson Jr., Frederick E. Johnson, Margaret Johnson, Cephas Johnson, and Jackie Johnson are the rightful heirs of the deceased, as they are the biological children of Liberia’s 11th President, Hilary R.W. Johnson.
The court upheld the legitimacy of transactions made by Payne during his time as the administrator, affirming that all actions taken under his administration remain valid.
This case arose in 2016 when the Johnson family filed a suit seeking to revoke the Letters of Administration granted to Jessie S. Payne, accusing him of fraudulently obtaining the right to administer the estates of Geneva Johnson Duff and Victoria Johnson Maxwell.
The family argued that since Geneva Johnson Duff had no children of her own and Victoria Johnson Maxwell had adopted several children, including those of Charles R. Johnson Sr., they were the legal heirs to the estates.
In its judgment, the Supreme Court solidified the Johnson family’s position as the rightful heirs, bringing a decisive conclusion to the lengthy legal battle over the intestate estates.
