From the category archives:

Celebrities

More fireworks for the Gary Coleman Estate

June 9, 2010

The Probate Lawyer Blog posed the question a few days ago:  Will there be a fight over Gary Coleman’s estate?  It looks like we have an answer — a resounding “Yes!”.
And it all centers around Gary Coleman’s final wishes.  The 1999 will has been released.  You can download Gary Coleman’s Will (courtesy of TMZ).
It’s very [...]

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Michigan Bar Journal Review of Trial & Heirs

June 8, 2010

The State Bar of Michigan’s montly journal has recently reviewed our book, Trial & Heirs:  Famous Fortune Fights!.  Here are some of the highlights:

After reading Trial & Heirs, I am convinced that I need an estate plan. It’s time to get serious about, you know, death.  Danielle and Andrew Mayoras, Michigan estate-planning attorneys who are married [...]

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Will there be a fight over Gary Coleman’s estate?

June 6, 2010

Gary Coleman died just over a week ago, on May 28, 2010.  And in that week, there have already been enough surprises to spark a whole series of “Whatcha talkin ’bout Willis!”’s. 
First came the question of how Gary Coleman died at the age of 42.  According to the 911 tapes, Shannon Price (who called herself his wife) summoned emergency personnel [...]

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Michael Jackson living trust revealed

June 3, 2010

With so much exposure and scrutiny on everything that’s happened to Michael Jackson’s estate since he died, it should probably come as no surprise that his living trust has been leaked to the media and made public.  Wills are public documents and available for everyone to read (once they are filed with the probate court [...]

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New Michael Jackson Estate Deal Reported

November 28, 2009

A couple weeks ago, I wrote how Katherine Jackson had a surprising “change of heart” by dropping her challenge to the executors for Michael’s estate.  In fact, her husband Joe Jackson was shocked — his lawyer called the move “despicable”. 
Well, if this exclusive report from the United Kingdom website News of the World is accurate, we [...]

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Farrah Fawcett’s Trust Provides A Good Lesson

November 19, 2009

It’s been widely reported across various websites in the last couple days that Farrah Fawcett’s will has been revealed and it “shockingly” disinherited her longtime ex-boyfriend Ryan O’Neal (father to her son, Redmond).  These reports are wrong on several levels.

First, the document was her Trust, not her will.  You can read it here, courtesy of [...]

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Katherine Jackson’s Shocking Change Of Heart

November 12, 2009

The Michael Jackson Estate has been the subject of regular court hearings as Katherine Jackson battled for control over the last several months.  She routinely objected to the decisions of the co-executors John Branca and John McClain.  Recently, she hired a new attorney with the promise of taking the case in a new direction, as I [...]

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Ike Turner Will Contest Ruling Is In

November 2, 2009

The trial involving whether Rock ‘n Roll pioneer & legend, Ike Turner, left a valid will has ended.  As described in this prior article I wrote, the case pitted his six children (two of whom apparently are now questionable children of his) versus his ex-wife versus his friend and “sometime” attorney.  I’m not exactly sure why [...]

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FBI Investigated Anna Nicole Smith For Murder Of “Step-Son”

October 27, 2009

Probate disputes over whether a will or trust was valid, or instead was signed at at time when the person was mentally incompetent or subject to undue influence, are common.  They’re also very emotional and difficult for everyone involved.  The Anna Nicole Smith case – the Granddaddy of all probate disputes — illustrates this more than any other.
[...]

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New evidence coming in the Michael Jackson Estate case

October 26, 2009

The Michael Jackson probate dispute between his mother and his two executors has been active since it started this summer.  But it looks like it’s about to really get heated up.

For starters, Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother and a primary beneficiary (along with his children and unnamed charities), has been challenging decisions made by co-executors John [...]

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