• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veterans Benefits
  • Seminars
  • Areas We Serve
    • Ballwin
    • Chesterfield
    • Clayton
    • Creve Couer
    • Des Peres
    • Edwardsville
    • Fenton
    • Glen Carbon
    • Glendale
    • Kirkwood
    • Maryland Heights
    • Oakland
    • Sappington
    • St. Louis
    • Sunset Hills
    • Valley Park
    • Webster Groves
  • Resources
    • Asset Protection Worksheet
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Chesterfield Elder Law
      • Fenton Elder Law
      • Kirkwood Elder Law
      • Sunset Hills Elder Law
      • St. Louis Elder Law
      • St. Peters Elder Law
      • Webster Groves Elder Law
    • FREE Estate Planning Seminars
    • FREE Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Estate Planning
      • Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Trust Administration & Probate
    • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
    • Medicaid Resources
    • Multimedia
    • Newsletters
    • Presentations
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Checklist
    • Probate Resources
    • Retirement Planning Checklist
    • Special Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning For Niches
      • Trust Administration
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.

St. Louis Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys

Logo
CONNECT WITH US TODAY (314) 966-8077
ATTEND A FREE WEBINAR
Home / Estate Planning / Legacy Of Entertainer Brown Still Not Resolved

Legacy Of Entertainer Brown Still Not Resolved

September 9, 2011

Estate Planning Tagged With: Estate Planning, Inheritance Planning, Legacy Planning

James Brown, the legendary “Godfather of Soul,” covered all of his bases as a performer and he amassed a fortune that is estimated at $100 million in overall value. Brown died in 2006 on Christmas Day, leaving behind a wife, a son from that marriage, three ex-wives, and at least eight other children. He had been married to his widow, Tomi Rae Hynie, for five years prior to his death but he never updated his estate plan during that time.

When he passed away his estate plan consisted of a trust that was to be administered for the benefit of needy children. This is quite a heart warming final gesture, but the problem lies in the fact that he didn’t leave anyone in his own family anything at all. His children and ex-wife are challenging the trustees who insist that James Brown’s wishes were clearly stated in the trust, leaving everything to poor children and nothing to his own children, wife or ex-wives.

The family is contending that Brown’s true wishes are not reflected in the trust and he omitted them due to either mental incompetence or because he succumbed to undue outside influences. There was an agreement arranged by the court that would have given half of the estate to the children’s charities and a quarter of it to his widow, with the other 25% split among his children.

However, two former trustees appealed this arrangement and a former producer has stepped forward claiming to have been appointed by Brown to manage the trust, stating that he wanted his family to receive nothing.

In the end he has been dead since late in 2006 and his estate is still hung up in court.

The thing to learn from all of this is that it is important to update your estate plan when your marital status changes. And in addition, it may be useful to consider how your family may react when you are making inheritance planning decisions.

 

 

 

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Paul Gantner
Latest posts by Paul Gantner (see all)
  • The Power in Powers of Appointment - June 15, 2022
  • The Toll of Serving as Fiduciary - June 9, 2022
  • What an In Terrerem Clause Can Do for You - June 1, 2022

Filed Under: Estate Planning Tagged With: Estate Planning, Inheritance Planning, Legacy Planning

Other Articles You May Find Useful

The Power in Powers of Appointment
The Toll of Serving as Fiduciary
What an In Terrerem Clause Can Do for You
Business Succession Planning May Be Easier than You Think
Just When You Thought You Understood the 10-Year Rule, Think Again
Application of the Transfer for Value Rule to the Sale of Life Insurance

Primary Sidebar

Download our free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube

Blog Subscription

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Where We Are

Amen, Gantner & Capriano
10733 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 425
St. Louis, MO 63127

See Larger MapGet directions

Office Hours

Monday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Map

map for Amen, Gantner & Capriano Your Estate Matters office
  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • About The American Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Footer

Connect to us

  • Facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube
footer-logo

© 2022 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

Amen, Gantner & Capriano,
Your Estate Matters, LLC

Attorney Advertisement