Celebrity Estate Lessons Huguette Clark
You might think the founder of the city of Las Vegas was pretty rich; and you would be correct. It turns out that he was. W.A. Clark was a copper and railroad baron during the Gilded Age. But we’re not going to talk about him today; we’re going to focus on his daughter, Huguette Clark. […]
Celebrity Estate Lessons Fred Koch
If you know anything about Republican politics, or just politics in general, you’ve likely heard of the Koch brothers, two very rich backers of conservative candidates and causes. But did you know there are two other Koch brothers? There are; brother Bill, a philanthropist and sailor, and older brother Fred, a philanthropist and art collector. […]
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 – 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 […]
Admitting A Foreign Will In Florida
Admitting A Foreign Will In Florida What is a Foreign Will Under Florida Statutes? It may surprise you to learn that a Will signed in Georgia is considered a “foreign Will” under Florida statutes. The term “foreign Will” applies to any Will (or similar estate planning document) executed in another state or country. You may […]
What To Know About Residuary Beneficiaries
What To Know About Residuary Beneficiaries What Does “Residuary” Mean? In probate law, the word “residuary” essentially means “everything else.” Most estate plans, including both Wills and trusts, include awards of specific property (such as the family house, heirlooms, or pets). Anything not included in these “specific devices” falls into the residuary. The residuary can […]
Understanding Florida’s Simultaneous Death Law
Understanding Florida’s Simultaneous Death Law Hurricane Ian Reminds Florida Families that Nothing is Certain On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian hit the Florida coast as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing with it 150 mph winds and 12 to 18 feet of storm surge. Sadly, more than 100 people died because of the storm, including more […]
Celebrity Estate Lessons – Chadwick Boseman
When Chadwick Boseman died in 2020, the world was stunned. What was even more stunning was learning that the actor, who had been fighting cancer for years, had died without leaving a Will. His wife had to petition the court to be named as the Executor of his estate, and while it seems to have […]