Famous Inheritance Disputes with Lawyer and Solicitor Glenn Duker

Wills and estates can be contentious beasts. They’re essential in that they give the departed person a legally binding way to pass on their assets and possessions, but wills can be challenged by parties who believe they haven’t been sufficiently provided for by the estate. The challenging of an estate can be damaging to an already fractured family dynamic; we see it played out over the news when a well known person who isn’t short of money or assets passes away. Specialist wills and estate lawyer and solicitor Glenn Duker looks at some of the better known inheritance disputes.

Robin Williams’ children vs Susan Schneider Williams

The world was stunned when much-loved comic actor Robin Williams took his own life in 2014. His family is currently in the middle of a dispute over his estate, with his third wife Susan challenging his three children over the allocation of money, property and personal belongings as stated in Robin’s will. In the three years that they were married, Robin set up a trust under Susan’s name which included a California property as well as other assets. She is now believed to be seeking further funds that would go towards the ‘expenses associated with daily upkeep as well as some unexpected renovations’. Robin’s three children believe that she is motivated by greed, which is why the two parties are dueling it out in court.

Pierce Marshall Vs Anna Nicole Smith and J. Howard Marshall III

We’re all familiar with the Anna Nicole Smith story. 26 year old former Playboy Playmate marries 89 year old billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II. Marshall dies 14 months into the marriage, as people of that age tend to do, and he leaves his $1.6 billion fortune to his stepson E. Pierce Marshall. Neither Anna Nicole nor Marshall’s namesake son James Howard III were provided for in his will. They combined to challenge E. Pierce’s stake in a legal battle that lasted years. Judges ruled both for and against Smith in separate decisions over the years, but she ultimately never got to see a cent before she died in 2007. E. Pierce Marshall passed away a year earlier. The case was closed in 2011 after it had evolved into a challenge between the estates of Smith (the plan was to put the money into a trust for her young daughter) and E.Pierce Marshall, with the judge ruling the inheritance would go to the Marshall estate.

Drafting a will can have lasting repercussions long after you’ve passed away, so it’s important toupdate it when necessary. For all your will and estate matters, be sure to speak to an experienced specialist in the area such as Glenn Duker.