Wills

Larry Seidlin, the Fort Lauderdale Judge(and former New York taxi driver) that became famous for his “straight talk” in proceedings following Anna Nicole Smith’s death, has written a book. This week The Killing of Anna Nicole Smith was released from Transit Publishing. In the book  Seidlin addresses what he sees as an epidemic of prescription drug abuse among celebrities and the people in their lives that enable this abuse and cites Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger as further examples of the problem.

Seidlin presided over the six day trial in 2007 that decided where Smith’s remains would come to rest. In the end he ruled that the former Playboy Playmate should be buried in the Bahamas. The debate over Smith’s remains was just one of many ongoing a legal battles surrounding Anna Nicole Smith.

Smith was the widow of Oil entrepreneur J. Howard Marshall II and was involved in a will contest with her husband’s youngest son that lasted over a decade and spanned district courts, probate courts in both Texas and California, California bankruptcy court and then went all the way to the Supreme Court. What and how much she was entitled to had still not been decided at the time of her death. In her article Who Will Get Anna Nicole Smith’s Money MSNBC Senior Legal Analyst Susan Filan outlined the numerous cases pending  that  Smith was involved in  including: the contest over Marshall’s will, the decision over who would inherit Smith’s money once it was decided what money was hers, who was the father to her daughter Dannielyn, who would be legal guardian to Dannielyn and whether that  guardian would  have control over whatever money she stood to inherit.

Excerpts from Seidlin’s book posted on the MSNBC website include details of the 2007 case and describe how he had to  keep control in the courtroom with almost 30 attorneys involved. Given the length and complexity of the Marshall will contest which recalls something akin to Bleak House’s Jarndyce & Jarndyce,  it sounds like Seidlin should just be thankful his trial involving Smith was only six days and did not need to involve will contests, bankruptcy or  any Florida estate lawyers or Orlando probate attorneys.

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Believe it or not, the court battle regarding millionaire J. Howard Marshall’s fortune has survived both Anna Nicole Smith and Marshall himself.

Smith, who died in 2007 from a drug overdose, claimed that Marshall’s son “used fraud and undue influence” to get his father to leave her out of the will. She also claimed that the oil tycoon verbally promised her that she would be left over $300 million when they were married in 1991. The court, however, had chosen to abide by Marshall’s written will, which leaves his entire estate to his son (and rightfully so!).

The Guardian reported that the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals supported the jury’s verdict that “J. Howard Marshall was mentally fit and under no undue pressure when he wrote a will leaving nearly all his $1.6 billion estate to his soon.”

Unfortunately, Smith’s 3-year-old daughter Dannielynn Birkhead was named heir of Smith’s fortune but if this court ruling is sustained, it could mean bad news for both her and her father Larry Birkhead.

At least little Dannielynn is leading a healthy, happy life thanks to her father.

How can you defraud your mother? That was probably the thought of witness and close friend of Brooke Astor, Henry Kissinger.

In 2007, well-known New York socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor passed away at the age of 105. Today, however, her name is still running through headlines as her son Anthony D. Marshall, 85, has been found guilty of being involved in a conspiracy to defraud his late mother of her nearly $200-million fortune.

Marshall, a former U.S. ambassador and Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, has been undergoing a five-month trial for allegedly coercing his mother into unknowingly signing away millions of dollars to him.

Before her death due to pneumonia, Astor suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. During this time, Marshall, along with estate attorney Francis Morrissey, allegedly “tricked” Astor into signing a number of misleading papers in a private meeting in 2004. Because of her confused and unaware state, Astor unknowingly signed away millions of dollars to her son thinking all of the money was going to various charities.

According to close friends and family, Astor’s Alzheimer’s was so intense that she was unable to recognize the people close to her.

Marshall Found Guilty

The case came to light five months ago, and after 11 days of deliberation the jury found Marshall guilty on 14 of the 16 counts against him. Witnesses on the stand included Marshall’s close friends including Barbara Walters and Henry Kissinger, along with Astor’s former nurses, maids and butler who aided her through the years of her illness.

The charges against Marshall included grand larceny, which involved the theft of cash and expensive art pieces, possession of a variety of stolen property, and conspiracy to defraud the late Astor. With these charges, Marshall could receive up to 25 years in prison. Morrissey, on the other hand, was convicted on five charges against him, including conspiracy, scheming to defraud and forgery for altering Astor’s will. He could spend up to seven years in prison.

Marshall, how come you just didn’t ask instead of stealing from your own mother?

“If I was paid $32,000 a year, the very least I could do was hit .400.” – Ted Williams

Summer – Lemonade stands, beach, and baseball. What many of you don’t know about Stargazer is that I love to watch old baseball documentaries, and the movie Field of Dreams, at least once during the summer. I was channel surfing on Sunday night and I caught the end of a documentary about Gil Hodges and the 1969 Mets, which was followed by one on Ted Williams, the legendary Boston Red Sox’ left fielder.

Ted Williams, “The Kid”

Ted Williams, also known as “The Kid” and “Splendid Splinter,” played for the Boston Red Sox for 21 years. He was known to his fans and to fellow players, old and new, as the greatest hitter of all time. The Kid had his extraordinary career interrupted by stints in two wars, World War II and the Korean War, as a fighter pilot for the Marines. Despite these lost years, he still managed to lead the American League in batting six times, was the American League MVP twice, was a two time winner of the Triple Crown, had a career batting average of .344, and had 521 home runs. Williams was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966; his career stats have made him a legend in baseball history.

Williams was a philanthropist and a spitfire rolled into one. He always had time for children stricken with cancer, yet allotted little family time to his children while they were young. He had a love/hate relationship with the press and fans, and was really bothered when the crowd booed players who made a bad play. Despite all this, he insisted on quietly giving some of his free time to visiting Children’s Hospital and fundraising for the cancer research organization called the Jimmy Fund.

Williams had a Keen Eye

One of the most amazing stories I uncovered about Ted Williams was that he had such keen eyesight that he could read a record album label while it was spinning. If you do believe this story, Williams’ last visit to Fenway Park becomes more poignant.

During that emotional July 13, 1999 All-Star Game, the feeble Williams came onto the field in a cart to the cheers of fans and players, such as Joe Torre, Ken Griffey, Jr., Cal Ripken, Jr., and long-time friend Tony Gwynn. He slowly walked to the pitcher’s mound to throw the opening pitch, worried because he couldn’t see home plate. With Tony Gwynn coaching him, he was able to throw a pitch down the plate amidst a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd. If you get to watch some of the old footage of this game, you can spot the looks of admiration given to Williams from the young players. It was a day to remember for Williams, the players on the field, and the massive crowd at Fenway.

Ted Williams Legal Issues

Described as controversial, opinionated, and stubborn, Ted Williams was still quite the lady’s man. He married three times and had three children. He lived with his long-time love, Louise Kaufman, until her death in 1993. When Louise died, her children sued Williams for a half interest in a condominium Williams gave Louise, as well as the furniture in the condo.

Family Feud – Ted Williams Contested Will

Williams’ death in July 2002 led to much controversy regarding his last wishes for his remains, and his estate. Unfortunately, this controversy tarnished his memory and made a mockery of his last wishes.

Cremation or cryopreservation?

Williams had a will which said he was to be cremated with his ashes scattered over the Florida gulf where he enjoyed sports fishing. However, a later codicil recorded on a napkin and signed by Williams, his son John-Henry, and daughter Claudia, was produced after he died. It said that Williams wanted his remains to be sent to a facility in Arizona called Alcor Life Extension for cryopreservation. Cryopreservation is a method of freezing human remains with the hope to be resuscitated in the future when a cure for the cause of death has been found. The hope was that in future years the three – John-Henry, Claudia, and Williams, would be reunited. William’s oldest daughter, Bobby-Jo, fervently contested this notion saying the note was forged and that Williams wanted to be cremated.

However, the codicil was enforced and Williams’ body was sent to Alcor. A CBS report in 2003 said that Williams was decapitated during the cryogenic process called neuroseparation, and his head and body were suspended separately in liquid nitrogen. A former employee of Alcor said the facility was missing some of Williams’ DNA. A theory at the time was that John-Henry wanted to sell his father’s DNA.

John-Henry died unexpectedly of leukemia three years after Williams’ death and was sent to the same facility for cryopreservation.

Thousands of Michael Jackson news stories have surfaced this week.

Custody of Michael Jackson’s Children

Earlier in the week a judge granted child custody to Michael Jackson’s mom, Katherine Jackson. Jackson’s ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, who is the mother of two of his three children, is deciding whether or not she is going to pursue custody of Jackson’s children. Rowe received a delay on the custody issue from a judge. I saw on the cover of a well-known newspaper that she is seriously going to try to win custody.

Michael Jackson’s Will

Earlier in the week it was reported that Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson’s sister, was the executor of his estate. There will be a court hearing on Monday regarding the distribution of Jackson’s assets. Jackson purposely left Rowe out of his will. Supposedly the Jackson estate has loads of debt. I am sure Jackson’s family law attorney has his hands full with the custody battle and filing the will in probate.

Neverland Ranch – Michael Jackson’s Former Home

Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was his pride and joy for many years until he was accused of molesting a boy there a few years ago. I caught some stunning photos of Neverland ranch the other day. It’s actual address is 5225 Figueroa Mountain Boulevard in Los Olivos, CA 93441. Neverland was saved from foreclosure last year, and five years ago was said to have been worth approximately $120 Million. However, there have been different values for the ranch in a variety of news articles. If you are looking to see what the local real estate is in Los Olivos, go to realtor.com to search for Los Olivos homes. I am sure the price of homes in Los Olivos have come down substantially.
Jackson’s Memorial Service and Burial

Jermaine Jackson said the other day that his brother update wanted to be buried at Neverland Ranch. However, California burial statutes say that burials can only be in cemeteries in California. They were going to have a memorial service on Thursday at Neverland Ranch but that was stopped. Instead, Jackson’s memorial service will be Tuesday at the Staples Center in California. I found a handy map in Google Maps for the Staples Center.

Did Michael Jackson’s Doctors mess up?

The answer to this question is maybe. The DEA is looking into fraudulent prescription meds that Jackson was taking at the time of his death. There were also cases of Jackson receiving meds under a few aliases. Wonder if there will be a case of wrongful death or medical malpractice?