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While the settlement fully resolves the Will contest claims of James’ children, the fight is far from over. Brown’s wife, Tomi Rae Hynie, is still contesting the Will, making the status of the Will’s validity still unresolved. About a year ago, the South Carolina Supreme Court put everything on hold. Now the only thing still in progress is the question of whether or not Tomi Rae Hynie is the legal spouse of James Brown. That issue is being heard by the Court of Appeals. It is the one issue where all the Brown children are united: they want the judge’s ruling that Tomi was Brown’s spouse overturned. If she’s his wife, she controls the money flow from Brown’s copyrights. That’s money that should go into a trust, according to the Will. If Tomi Rae isn’t Brown’s wife, the kids control that money. If the appellate court rules that Tomi Rae is indeed the legal wife of James Brown, then they’d have to next determine if the prenuptial agreement is valid. The court could hold that she’s not the wife, or they could decide it’s a jury issue. If so, this could go on for years. As it stands now, the four adult children named in the settlement would keep the property Brown wanted them to have, remove the Will contest clause, and give them $147,000 collectively. As a part of the deal, they’ll cooperate with the estate and end their legal fight. Reference: WRDW.com (January 26, 2016) “James Brown Estate: What a settlement means for other pending lawsuits” #Pearland #ProbateAttorney #HoustonEstatePlanning #HoustonWills #Friendswood #Probate #ProbateCourt #Inheritance #Clearlake #HoustonEstatePlanningLawyer #Webster

Once decided, the name(s) should be included in estate planning documents.

As a Houston will and trust lawyer, I can confidently say that estate plans are not one-size-fits-all

it is reasonable to consider using the payable-on-death option or beneficiary designation, an estate planning

Contact a qualified estate planning attorney if you own any intellectual property rights.

Dawn, who was just three years old when tragedy struck, claims her aunts’ recent accusation that her dad was responsible for the unsolved murder was intentionally hurtful and has no bearing on their fight over the estate. An article from DNA Info entitled, “Keep My Mother’s Murder out of Our Family Court Battle, Daughter Says,” explains that Dawn and her two aunts are fighting over the will of her grandmother and their mother, Marcia. The aunts claim that Dawn and her dad and lawyer Mitchell Lapidus stole at least $10 million in the last years of Marcia’s life, when she was mentally incapacitated. The aunts believe that Franklin Mark hired a hit man to kill his wife, Gail, in 1982. The two brought up the murder in the court case because they want to depose Lapidus, who helped draft Marcia’s final will. The will leaves $8 million to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the remainder of her estate to Dawn, according to court records. Whether the tactics will work in challenging the will remain to be seen, but the New York Police Department re-opened an investigation into the murder after the website’s story. Reference: DNA Info (November 19, 2015) “Keep My Mother’s Murder Out of Our Family Court Battle, Daughter Says” #EstatePlanningLawyer #ProbateAttorney #HoustonEstatePlanning #WillChanges #HoustonWills #ProbateCourt #Inheritance #HoustonProbate

No one ever intends to leave a mess behind when they die, but a little estate planning can ensure that The pop icon died unexpectedly in 2016, leaving no will and no estate plan. Creating an estate plan can protect your legacy and avoid unnecessary legal and probate costs. If you are beginning the estate planning process or updating your plans, Your Legacy Legal Care offers comprehensive estate planning services that can ensure you avoid a costly probate process.

Things can get trickier if the individual who passes does not have a will and a clear, legal estate plan

Many of our estate planning and probate clients are clearly dealing with anxiety and how to process grief

The gift will also provide $400,000 for Reach out and Read Kansas City. That program partners with doctors to provide books for children and to encourage parents to read to them. “Small towns aren’t as isolated now as when I grew up,” Michael Cummings said. “But there’s still a difference in resources that are available and in the kind of things you become aware of. I’m hoping this scholarship will help some people who will have a similar experience to what I have had, which is to find a career that wasn’t on their radar and from there to end up with a wonderful and fulfilling career.” Cummings’ wife, Pamela Miller said the scholarship expresses their gratitude to KU for making Michael’s career possible. “I know how much he loves what he does and how good he is at it, and his career has brought tremendous benefit to our lives,” she said. “In turn we can help make a difference. We can not only pay back, but we also can pay forward.” “We are grateful to Michael and Pamela for their love of our school,” said Dean Mahesh Daas. “This scholarship will give students who come from rural communities the opportunity to become part of the vision we have for all of our students, and that is that each should become a pioneering force for achieving global impact through design.” Their gift for Reach Out and Read Kansas City shows the Cummings’ lifelong interest in books. Pamela said that Reach out and Read Kansas City is a win-win for children. It’s a nonprofit program at the KU Medical Center, which is a member of the national Reach Out and Read Program. Reference: University of Kansas (January 11, 2016) “A passion for architecture, reading sparks $2 million estate gift” #CharitableDonation #HoustonEstatePlanningLawyer #HoustonPowerofAttorney

You can prepare by planning for incapacitation by executing or updating your healthcare directive. Your Healthcare Directive None of us like to think about becoming seriously ill, but we should all plan Having a plan in place if you become incapacitated is an excellent way to ensure that you receive the But it is a good idea to have these plans in place anyway in the event of any other tragic event. Your Legacy Legal Care offers comprehensive estate planning and elder law services.

Here are some ways to begin the process: Find Their Estate Plan If your loved one had a will, trust, or other estate plan in place, it is important to get your hands on it as soon as possible. The estate plan will guide you on what the next steps will be of making sure the distributions of their The team of experienced estate planning and probate attorneys at Your Legacy Legal Care will work with us help put you at ease if you are appointed as an executor or trustee for your loved one’s estate plan