SC20722 - O'Sullivan v. Haught ("In this certified appeal, we consider
the scope of an appellate court’s jurisdiction over an
interlocutory appeal from the denial of a motion for
summary judgment on the ground of collateral estoppel
that is based on the preclusive effect of a Probate Court
decree. The defendant, Alan F. Haught, appeals, upon
our grant of his petition for certification, from the
Appellate Court’s dismissal of his appeal from the trial
court’s denial of his motion for summary judgment with
respect to the claim of tortious interference with an
expected inheritance brought in a tort action by the
plaintiff, David O’Sullivan. Specifically, the defendant
claims that the Appellate Court improperly granted the
motion to dismiss his appeal because a trial court’s
denial of a summary judgment motion based on a colorable claim of collateral estoppel is an immediately
appealable final judgment. We agree with the defendant
and conclude that the Appellate Court improperly dismissed the defendant’s appeal from the decision of the
trial court.")