Sunday, June 8, 2025

Jimmy Buffett’s $275M estate becomes center of heated inheritance dispute

Estate-planning-967badd135bb43889abcea181ddaf72cThe fight over Jimmy Buffett’s estate has sparked a massive legal battle.

His widow has filed a petition to have co-trustee Richard Mozenter, who manages the late musician’s estate, removed for failing to act in her “best interests” with the marital trust that was “created for her benefit.”

Jane Buffett, who married the singer in 1977, made the legal filing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, alleging that Mozenter, also a co-trustee of the marital trust set up for her, has been “openly hostile and adversarial” toward her and worked against her, according to the legal filing obtained by Fox News Digital.

“Mr. Mozenter has failed to perform even the most basic tasks required of him in his role as co-trustee, including providing Mrs. Buffett with information concerning Trust assets and finances, which has left Mrs. Buffett in the dark with regard to the state of her own finances,” the filing said. “Along the way, Mr. Mozenter has belittled, disrespected, and condescended to Mrs. Buffett in response to her reasonable requests for information she undoubtedly was entitled to receive. As a result, the majority of Mrs. Buffett’s net worth is controlled by someone she does not trust, and to whom the Trust for her benefit must pay enormous fees—more than $1.7 million in 2024 to him and his firm—no matter how badly he treats her.”

Mozenter has filed his own petition in Florida to have her removed as co-trustee and representative of the estate, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

For more information see Brie Stimson “Jimmy Buffett’s $275M estate becomes center of heated inheritance dispute,” Fox News, June 6, 2025. 

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2025/06/jimmy-buffetts-275m-estate-becomes-center-of-heated-inheritance-dispute.html

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