Music fans in California may be following the drama surrounding Glen Campbell’s estate. A judge in Nashville ruled that three of his children will be able to contest wills that were dated in 2001 and 2006. The three children were not entitled to any type of inheritance according to the contents of those documents. Campbell experienced symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease prior to his death, and the children questioned whether their father had the capacity to agree to those documents.
They also believe that he left them out of his will because of undue influence. According to the 2006 will, his wife was named executor of the estate and also stood to benefit from it. It also named five other children as beneficiaries to the late singer’s estate. Campbell’s widow is not objecting to the will contest, and there was no other opposition according to the judge.
Questions were raised by another child as to how royalties earned after the signer died had been accounted for. They were reportedly deposited into a bank account controlled by his widow, and his former manager and publicist had power of attorney over that account. According to that child, the royalties should have been deposited into an account controlled by the estate. She has requested that a full records related to that bank account and any payments made from the estate.
Generally speaking, it is in a beneficiary’s best interest to resolve an inheritance dispute in a timely manner. The longer a dispute goes on, the more money that gets paid to lawyers and other professionals from the estate. Settling inheritance issues quickly may also help to preserve relationships between family members. An attorney may help family members work together to create a fair resolution to the matter.