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Probate News

• Battle for Estate of Thomas Kinkade - The wife and the girlfriend of Thomas Kinkade have both applied for probate. This is a process where a court determines whether a will is valid, and dictates where the assets are distributed.


• Probate Court Judge Orders Investigation Into Paris Jackson’s Welfare - Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, who is in charge of probate matters involving the Michael Jackson estate, has ordered an investigation into the health and welfare of Paris Jackson following her suicide attempt.


• Michael Jackson’s Estate Probate Complicated by Abuse Lawsuit - The massive Michael Jackson estate has been wading through probate proceedings, which have so far involved child custody battles, financial disputes with business partners, and lawsuits filed by the beneficiaries against the estate’s executors.


• County Settles Claim in Probate Court Over Public Funds Stolen by Dead Sheriff - The case filed by Orangeburg County, SC in Orangeburg County Probate Court against the estate of late Sheriff Larry Williams to recover public funds allegedly stolen by the sheriff will be dismissed.


• Sam Manzo Gets Smoron Estate After 4-Year Probate Battle - The ruling by a Hartford Superior Court judge in favor of Sam Manzo finally puts an end to four years of probate intrigue and court battles over the estate of Josephine Smoron.


• California Supreme Court issues Landmark Probate Ruling - Probate cases where a revocable trust is involved may be slightly more complicated from now on, due to a recent landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of California.


• Ohio Appeals Court Rules on Estate Planning Property Trust Dispute - The Court of Appeals of Ohio provided clarification for a complex case involving the operations of an estate planning living trust after the beneficiary’s death.


• Probate Judge Rejects Funeral Parlor’s Exorbitant Bill - Judge Paul Joseph Ganim, the probate judge for Bridgeport Probate District in Bridgeport, CT, ruled that a funeral parlor should not get paid the $34,000 it was asking for from the estate of Myron Johnson.


• Son Accused of Killing Mother May Get Estate After Probate - Brett Bednarz, facing a criminal trial after being charged with killing his mother during a Thanksgiving Day dinner, may actually get his mother’s estate after probate.


• Sherman Hemsley Probate Case in El Paso, TX has Three Claimants - Actor Sherman Hemsley, most famously known for his sitcom role in “The Jeffersons,” died of lung cancer on July 24, 2012. But his probate has not yet been sorted out due to complications about who should be the beneficiary.


• Michael Jackson Probate Easier After Estate Settles Lawsuits - There are very few probate court dockets that are as complicated or famous as the Michael Jackson files.


• Complex Probate Battles Surround Elderly Hotel Magnate - Springfield, MO hotel magnate John Hammons and his wife, aged 93 and 95 respectively, are in a long-term care facility in Springfield, but their estate is in the midst of a complex legal matter involving a probate court lawsuit and other related business lawsuits.


• A Never-Ending Probate Nightmare for Marie Long - Marie Long, a 90-year old widow in Scottsdale, Arizona, is stuck in a probate nightmare that has left her penniless and on welfare while the case makes its way through the Arizona legal justice system.


• Distributing Madoff Investors' Estates After Probate - Bernard Madoff's fate is sealed with a 150 year prison term, but the mess he made is still being sorted out as his investors die and their estates go through the probate process under the watchful eye of a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge.


• The Probate Case of James Brown - The probate case of funk music originator James Joseph Brown's $100 million music empire continues six years after his death.


• Pet Saved by Trust Officer - Georgia Lee Dvorak, who died on December 24th, 2011, was 76 years old at the time of her passing, and was survived by no relatives, just her 11-year-old cat.


• Testing William Payne's 351 Year Old Will Power - Just because a man is dead and buried does not mean he cannot have his wishes fulfilled.


• Whitney Houston’s Estate - What will happen to Whitney Houston’s estate? Questions regarding Houston’s estate started circulating before she was even buried.


• New Probate Law in Arizona - If you haven't checked on your Arizona estate plan in a while, here's a reason for doing so: A somewhat recent state law allows parties to make a probate-free transfer of vehicles at death.


• Widlak Estate Settles Two Cases Seeking $500,000 Over Lost Investments - The estate of David Widlak, former Community Central Bank Corp. CEO, has silently settled two cases that sought a excess of $500,000 in combined compensation.


• Parents of Woman Who Died in Busch Mansion Want to Join Probate Lawsuit - Attorneys representing the parents of a woman who passed away after a drug overdose at the home of former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV requested that a Missouri appellate court panel add them as formal plaintiffs in a legal claim.


• Lawyer Daniel Rosser Announces Plans to Run For Probate Judge Next Year - A lawyer in Tuscumbia, Daniel Rosser, is the first candidate to officially announce his intentions to run for probate judge next year in Colbert County.


• Practice Expands With Wills and Probate Addition - Hughes Watters Askanase L.L.P. (HWA) has extended its Wills and Probate Practice Area to include trusts and estate planning with the addition of Dirk R. Moore as Senior Counsel.


• College Classes Stress the Importance of Having a Will - Jim Peters of Zukowski Law Offices in Peru spoke at a class at the People's Law School at Illinois Valley Community College last week.

Do you have questions or concerns regarding estate planning? If so, contact an estate planning attorney in your area to discuss your legal options today.