Court Battle Heats Up over Robin Williams’ Estate

Robin Williams’ children and wife have gone to court in a fight over the late comedian’s estate. In papers filed in December in San Francisco Superior Court, Williams’ wife, Susan, says some of the late actor’s personal items were taken without her permission and asks the court to exclude the contents of the Tiburon home that she shared with Williams from the jewelry, memorabilia and other items Williams said the children should have. Our California probate attorney explains more below.

Even though the star’s untimely death was a shock to many, the late Robin Williams was praised for his proper estate planning once the public learned that his estate plan called for everything to be left in trust for his children.

Recently, however, news has broken that his widow has filed a petition with a court over the estate. She seeks to have property located in the house that she shared with Williams excluded from the trust created for the benefit of the children.

The children are upset and think the widow is attempting to rewrite the trust. In response, her attorney claims she is merely seeking clarification from the court about certain terms of the trust.

NBC News has the full story in “Robin Williams’ wife and children fight over estate.”

As it is very early in the case, it is not yet possible to determine how this case will play out. It may be that Robin Williams left some ambiguous terms in the trust. It may also be just another family fight over property that would have happened regardless.

Neither is uncommon when property is valuable.

The important takeaway: Make sure that your trust is not ambiguous and does not leave open the possibility of family feuds.