Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, but the settling of his estate continues more than 15 years after his death due to a lingering tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other legal challenges, including a lawsuit brought by his mother over a deal to sell part of his music rights to Sony Music […]
Most people understand that having an estate plan benefits them and their loved ones. However, many individuals do not initiate the estate planning process because they do not fully understand the nuances of the core estate planning tools such as wills or trusts, additionally they do not understand the full implications of dying without either in […]
Musician Aaron Carter, a former child pop star and younger brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, died in November at the age of thirty-four. Aaron’s untimely passing is one of the more tragic celebrity deaths of 2022. It is also one of the messiest from an estate planning perspective. The late singer, who struggled with substance […]
The recent accidental death of Anne Heche was a shocking reminder of how the everyday can quickly turn into the tragic. While driving through the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 5, 2022, Heche was involved in a car crash and succumbed to her injuries a week later. The official cause of death was […]
Last month, this blog looked at the ongoing legal drama surrounding the probate of former Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh’s estate. While that post focused on distribution of an estate when a person dies intestate (dies without a will), this post will focus on an interesting detail of the Hsieh case — namely whether Mr. Hsieh’s writings […]
Our lives are full of everyday superstitions. Knock on wood, don’t step on sidewalk cracks, and that talking about bad things make them more likely to happen. This last one is among the most given reasons why people don’t make estate plans. “If I talk about it, then I’ll die” goes the excuse. Unfortunately, this is […]
It’s no secret that people love to watch dramatizations of their legal system in action. Nearly every law school student can point to fond memories of watching Perry Mason, Matlock, or Law & Order as their representation of legal work in action. Part of the ongoing nostalgia is revisiting those earlier favorite shows and films. In fact, […]
After the death of a loved one, such as a parent, there are a variety of tasks which must be handled to wrap up your loved one’s final affairs. Selling your deceased loved one’s real estate is one of the more daunting ones. But before you call a real estate agent, you should take some time […]
While watching a movie or reading a book about wealthy individuals and their families, you may have come across terms such as “heir,” “descendant,” and “next of kin.” Though made-for-Hollywood storylines use these terms interchangeably, words describing familial relationships have distinct definitions. Using the correct terms is critical in wills, trusts, and other legal documents because […]
If an individual dies without having properly prepared an estate plan (meaning they died intestate), they can leave their family members feeling overwhelmed. There are a number of dangers associated with failing to put a well-thought-out estate plan in place that could make your family members feel as though they are drowning if you were to […]
