Most people assume estate planning problems only happen to “other people.” Or to people with complicated families. Or to the ultra-wealthy.
But the ongoing estate case of Tony Hsieh—the late founder and longtime CEO of Zappos—is a powerful reminder that when your plan is not properly taken care of, missing, unclear, or hard to locate, even a straightforward family situation can end up in court for years.
A quick recap: who was Tony Hsieh?
Tony Hsieh helped build Zappos into one of the most recognized online retailers in the country. In 2009, Amazon acquired Zappos in a deal valued at about $1.2 billion.
Tragically, Tony died in 2020 at age 46, succumbing to smoke inhalation during a house fire. He reportedly had no spouse and no children, so many people assumed his estate would be relatively straightforward under intestate (no-will) laws.
What happens when someone dies without a clear plan?
If someone dies without a valid will or trust, the law (not the family) determines who inherits and who is in charge. In Tony’s case, the estate initially proceeded as if he had died without a will, and his father was managing the estate through probate.
So far, that sounds clean.
Then came the twist.
The “surprise will” that surfaced years later
In 2025, a document was filed in Nevada probate court claiming to be Tony Hsieh’s will—more than four years after his death.
Even more unusual, news reports described the will as having been found among the possessions of a man named Pir Muhammad, supposedly in Pakistan, and brought forward by a claimed relative.
Why did the will raise immediate red flags?
According to reporting and court filings discussed publicly:
- Handwriting and signature experts were retained and concluded the signatures were “virtually certain” to be forged (per court filings described in news coverage).
- The will listed witnesses who could not be located, and investigators reportedly could not confirm that some of them ever lived where the will claimed.
- Attorneys for the estate raised concerns that key names and contacts in the document could not be verified.
In short: the case became exactly what families fear most—a long-running probate fight, filled with uncertainty, legal expense, delays, and public courtroom procedure. It’s still ongoing.
The practical takeaways for the rest of us
Tony Hsieh’s case may be extreme—but the underlying problems are not. These same issues show up every day in ordinary families, just on a smaller scale.
1) Watch out if you assume you don’t need an estate plan – because you’re under age 55, or single, or married without children, or don’t have many assets.
Estate planning is about much more than what happens should you pass away. It’s also about protecting you while living, in the event you’re in an accident or otherwise too ill or disabled to act on your own behalf. A proper estate plan permits you to determine who will make decisions for you – both health related and with respect to your assets – when the unexpected happens.
2) A plan isn’t just about “who gets what.”
Estate planning is also about how smoothly things can be handled.
When your plan is missing or unclear, your family may be forced to deal with:
• Court petitions and hearings
• Delays accessing accounts
• Multiple people arguing about authority
• Extra legal fees and administrative expenses
• A public record of private family matters
3) “DIY wills” can create expensive messes.
People often try to save money with a quick online will. The problem is not the idea of writing instructions—it’s the reality that wills must meet strict legal requirements.
Even when a will is real, families can end up in court because of:
• Incorrect signing formalities
• Unclear language
• Missing pages or attachments
• Outdated beneficiary designations on certain assets
• Conflicts between the will and account titles
And in the Hsieh case, the will dispute shows another risk: a document that appears later, after the estate administration is already in process, and triggers a battle over whether it’s even authentic.
4) Your documents must be easy to find.
A valid plan does not help if nobody can locate it.
At minimum, your family and/or those you’ve appointed to be in charge should know:
• Where the original signed documents are kept
• How to access them quickly (and legally)
• Who your chosen decision-makers are
• How to reach your attorney
One of the quiet estate planning tragedies is that families spend months searching for paperwork, passwords, and instructions—during the hardest time of their lives.
5) For many people, a living trust is the “smoothest path.”
A properly funded living trust can often reduce the risk of court involvement and keep matters private (compared to a will-only plan that triggers court conservatorship or probate).
A will can still be part of a good plan, but in California, many families prefer a trust-based plan because it’s typically more efficient, more private, easier to administer, and less vulnerable to delays and public courtroom drama.
A simple call to action (what you can do this month)
If you want to take a meaningful step right now, start with these three items:
- Confirm you have an up-to-date plan (not one from 5 years ago).
- Make sure the plan matches your assets (titles, beneficiaries, trust funding).
- Make it discoverable (safe storage plus instructions to your decision-makers).
How we can help
At Kavesh, Minor & Otis, we’ve helped California families, for over 44 years, build estate plans that are not only legally sound—but practical, clear, and designed to work in real life when your family needs them most.
If you’d like us to review your current plan (or create a new one), we’re happy to help you put the right structure in place—so your family can avoid unnecessary court involvement, delays, expenses and disputes.
We first recommend that you come to one of our free estate planning seminars. You’ll be better prepared for your attorney consultation – and the entire process will go more quickly and smoothly. Plus, by attending, you’ll qualify for a special fee discount. To register, click here or call us at 800-756-5596.
