Curious about how celebrity estate errors can help you protect yourself, your family, and your heirs?  Watch this video: Posted by:  Author and probate attorney Andrew W. Mayoras, co-author of Trial & Heirs:  Famous Fortune Fights! and co-founder and shareholder of The Center for Probate Litigation and The Center for Elder Law in metro-Detroit, Michigan, which concentrate in probate litigation, estate planning, and elder law.  You can email him at awmayoras @ brmmlaw.com. Read Full Story

Annual financial loss by victims of elder financial abuse is estimated to be at least $2.6 billion dollars according to a recent combined study from MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI), The National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (NCPEA), The Center for Gerontology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University report entitled, “Broken Trust: Elders, Family and Finances”.  It is vitally important for attorneys and any persons who help the elderly with their finances whi... Read Full Story

The trial involving whether Rock 'n Roll pioneer & legend, Ike Turner, left a valid will has ended.  As described in this prior article I wrote, the case pitted his six children (two of whom apparently are now questionable children of his) versus his ex-wife versus his friend and "sometime" attorney.  I'm not exactly sure why someone would be a "sometime" attorney, but that's how he was described in this North County Times (California) article about the trial.     The children argued Ike ... Read Full Story

Probate disputes over whether a will or trust was valid, or instead was signed at at time when the person was mentally incompetent or subject to undue influence, are common.  They're also very emotional and difficult for everyone involved.  The Anna Nicole Smith case -- the Granddaddy of all probate disputes -- illustrates this more than any other.  I discussed the case in this article, including how the estate executor/lawyer/former boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, not only lost a request he f... Read Full Story

The Michael Jackson probate dispute between his mother and his two executors has been active since it started this summer.  But it looks like it's about to really get heated up. For starters, Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother and a primary beneficiary (along with his children and unnamed charities), has been challenging decisions made by co-executors John Branca and John McClain on a regular basis.  She had asked for, and received, permission from the judge to allow her to challenge them ... Read Full Story

Celebrity estate battles just keep coming.  Here's the UPI article about the latest in a long line of court cases involving dueling heirs of the rich and famous.  Best selling author Michael Crichton (writer of ER and Jurassic Park) left behind a messy estate and trust because he failed to update his estate planning documents to provide for his son, not yet born when he died of cancer at age 66.  I wrote about the problems this caused in a prior article.  Then his estate had to contend with... Read Full Story

An interesting article came out today by the Associated Press about how professionals who combat financial abuse against seniors can hold up the Brooke Astor verdict to raise awareness of the growing epidemic.  You can read the article here.  Jennifer Peltz, who wrote the article, discusses how advocates against financial exploitation of the elderly hailed the verdict and how it is far from alone.  She points that there have been many other famous cases involving the rich, such as J. Stewar... Read Full Story

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s three children have been fighting with each other in court over control of his estate and financial legacy.  Here are my prior articles about the Martin Luther King, Jr. estate fight.  Two of the three children had sued Dexter King, their brother, who had the legal authority to make decisions regarding the King Estate.  The Estate was run through a corporation, which Dexter oversaw, until the 2008 lawsuit filed against him in Georgia. Recently, Fulton County Superio... Read Full Story

The jury verdict is in for one of the most intriguing will contest cases ever.  The son of the late New York philanthropist and millionaire, Brooke Astor, had been charged with 16 counts related to fraud, larceny, forgery, and more, stemming from changes to her will and related (alleged) wrongdoing.  Here are my prior blog articles on the case. Well maybe you can remove the word "alleged".  The jury convicted Anthony Marshall and his co-defendant, lawyer Francis X. Morrissey, Jr.  Marshall,... Read Full Story

“Trial & Heirs: Famous Fortune Fights!” Explores High-Profile Cases & Offers Expert Advice     The highly publicized estate battles of several deceased celebrities have cast a bright spotlight on the importance of having the proper estate planning. Although mega-rich celebrities seem to be affected overwhelmingly by these brutal family squabbles, the new book "Trial & Heirs: Famous Fortune Fights!" is designed to help every family, regardless of income... Read Full Story