Sec. 17.5. (a) The court, in its discretion and upon application of any party instituting an action under section 16 or 17 of this chapter, may permit the contest of two (2) or more wills if there is prima facie evidence that:
(1) the decedent suffered from an irreversible medical or psychiatric condition that predated the earliest will to be challenged; or
(2) a party beneficially interested in one (1) or more challenged wills had a direct and active nexus with the preparation or execution process for each will to be challenged on the basis of undue influence.
The prima facie preliminary evidentiary showing under subdivision (1) shall be made by an affidavit of the decedent's treating physician or through the records of a health care provider obtained during discovery and tendered to the court under Rule 803(6) of the Indiana Rules of Evidence.
(b) If the court exercises its discretion to permit the challenge to two (2) or more wills in one (1) proceeding, a challenger is eligible to request attorney's fees under IC 29-1-10-14 if the challenger stands to directly benefit from a successful suit. The court shall review the attorney's fee claims at the conclusion of the will contest. The award and allocation of attorney's fees paid from the estate shall be solely at the discretion of the court.
As added by P.L.231-2019, SEC.9.
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