New York Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog
One of the biggest misconceptions about settling an estate is that all of the loose ends will be handled within weeks or months of the passing. In reality, it often takes years or more before all of the details are finalized. In cases of sizeable wealth, unique assets, or complex administration arrangements, the estate details may linger for decades.
Consider a story in last week’s New York Post regarding the estate of former New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders. Thunders was only thirty eight years old when he died in 1991. Yet, even though the death occurred more than 23 years ago, there is a legal estate planning battle brewing over control of his assets.
Thunders Estate Fight
Thunders had little to his name when he died–with an estate valued only at $4,000. Not having a Will, the singer’s assets were set to go to his estranged wife, their two children, and a third child from a second mother from Sweden. The singer’s sister was named Executor of the estate and she worked on its administration.
Over the years, the sister was quite savvy with the estate management, taking advantage of some re-birth in popularity of New York Dolls songs to generate significant income for the estate. As part of her role as administrator of the estate, the sister made twice yearly payments to the singer’s children and wife. These payments lasted for decades until the sister’s death in 2009.
It was at that point that another estate battle was put into motion. Originally, the singer’s Swedish daughter from outside of his marriage was set to take control of the estate. Yet, the daughter, now 26 years old, could not afford the sizeable bond payment needed to oversee the fund. These bond payments are often required by the court to ensure that the administrator does not abuse their discretion and control of the funds.
Yet, even though the daughter could not afford the bond, no one else was named administrator. The estate funds–around $160,000–have set unused without payment to any of the children. All of this means that no one is around to take advantage of the continued interest in the New York Dolls legacy to capitalize on royalty and licensing funds.
To make matters worse, Thunder’s other two children with his wife recently filed a suit seeking to bar their half-sister from ever taking control of the estate. Both sides are set for a court date in January but are hoping to reach a settlement beforehand.