Celebrity Estate Lessons Kurt Cobain

committed suicide in 1994. Afterward, an attorney came forward to say that Kurt Cobain approached her to have documents written excluding his wife, Courtney Love, whom he was planning to divorce from his Will. Unfortunately, he never went forward with this estate plan. So, when he died, his estate passed to Love and their daughter, […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons Heath Ledger

Today’s case is an interesting one, involving both a very common mistake wrapped inside a less common mistake. An important part of any person’s probate is based on where a person is domiciled (aka where they officially live) at the time of their death. So, for example, if you were a snow bird who lived […]

Estate Planning Tips for Unmarried Partners

Estate Planning Tips for Unmarried Partners Estate and Probate Rights of Unmarried Partners  Florida probate law contains several protections for married couples, including laws to prevent a spouse from losing their home or property after their spouse’s death, built in assumptions about spouses’ authority to make decisions on their husband or wife’s behalf, and their […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons Ernie Banks

Celebrity Estate Lessons Ernie Banks Ah, summer. A great time to catch a ball game. You probably think those players on the field have everything all figured out, but that’s not always the case. When Chicago Cubs’ player Ernie Banks died in 2015, his estranged wife didn’t think he had a Will. She was certainly […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons Jim Morrison

Celebrity Estate Lessons Jim Morrison Estate planning is hard. There are a lot of things you have to plan for that you may never have given a thought! Take Jim Morrison. When the lead singer of the Doors died in 1971, he had a simple will leaving everything to his girlfriend, or to his siblings […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons Prince

We have so many new followers that have missed out on some of our early posts that we’re going to start revisiting some of them. Let’s call it First Friday Flashbacks! First up: Prince.  Feel like you’re the only one without a will? You’re not alone! When Prince died in 2016 he left no instructions […]

Can You Refuse An Inheritance?

Can You Refuse An Inheritance? Can a Beneficiary Refuse an Inheritance?  The short answer to whether a beneficiary can refuse an inheritance is yes.  A beneficiary in a Will or trust, or an intestate heir under Florida state law can choose to refuse all or part of their inheritance. This is called a “disclaimer.” To […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – Thomas Kinkade

Celebrity Estate Lessons Thomas Kinkade If you paid any attention at all to art in the 90’s, you’ve heard of Thomas Kinkade. The “painter of light” passed away in 2012 at home with his girlfriend Amy Pinto-Walsh.  Shortly after his death, Pinto-Walsh produced two handwritten and nearly illegible Wills, leaving her millions of dollars and […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons Anna Nicole Smith

Celebrity Estate Lessons Anna Nicole Smith And now the ending of our accidental oil baron trilogy. Anna Nicole Smith married 89 year old J. Howard Marshall at the age of 26, a story we detailed last week.  Let’s fast forward a bit to September 2006. Smith had moved to the Bahamas to give birth to […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – Larry King

Celebrity Estate Lessons Larry King It was a shock when Larry King passed from complications of COVID-19 early last year. Shortly after his death, his current wife, Shawn Southwick, filed suit contesting King’s 2019 handwritten Will.  Southwick alleges that King’s eldest child, Larry King Jr. (whom the talk show host didn’t meet until Jr. was […]