According to a recent news story the probate court in Michigan has ordered experts to examine the purported handwritten will of the late Queen of Soul. It supposedly was found under a seat cushion in her house.
The thing about an artist's estate is that there can be significant income after the artist dies. Think Michael Jackson. Or John Lennon. Or Tom Clancy. Aretha had a large estate and all of this controversy and litigation could easily have been avoided if she had just consulted a lawyer.
My point is that a properly drafted will or a revocable living trust is something that every person with property should have. My firm opinion ...
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Aretha had no R-E-S-P-E-C-T for her heirs
According to media reports, the late Aretha Franklin has created an expensive and unnecessary mess for her heirs. It was first thought that he passed away without a will. Now three wills have been discovered with one supposedly found under a seat cushion of a couch.
Litigation, of course, will ensue and it won't be pretty. On top of that, it will play out in public.
Handwritten wills can be valid, but oftentimes fatal mistakes are made and they get tossed by the probate court.
I'm sure Aretha loved her heirs and devisees. A comprehensive estate plan would have saved them all sorts of time, money and ...
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Is a $20 million gift to a private country club enforcable in probate court? Maybe
Wayne Ryan founded Streck Laboratories in Nebraska. He died in 2017. One of his daughters was my high school's homecoming queen. His family has been involved in all sorts of litigation during his life and that continued after his death.
In 2016, he entered into a written pledge agreement with the Shadow Ridge Country Club. The amount of the pledge was $20 million. Ryan's intent was to turn Shadow Ridge into "a significant asset to the City of Omaha" comparable to the zoo and TD Ameritrade ballpark. There was an 11-page list of capital improvements in the amount of $12.5 million. A statue of Dr. Ryan would be placed on the first tee.
One ...
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