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Modern estates

New fights since 2013: frozen embryos, crypto keys, social media accounts, AI copies of the dead, and estates outside the United States.

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What do the modern estates estate cases show?

In Mexico an artist's work can be declared a national monument, which limits what any owner may do with it. A parent who moves abroad near the end of life can leave two wills in two countries and children who cannot find his body.

Stories
21
Years
2011 to 2023
Main regions
Latin America, North America, East Asia
Legal traditions
Civil law, Chinese and East Asian law
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in modern estates, best-known first

Best-known first: cases from 1900 on, then the United States, then Europe, and the people most read about on English Wikipedia each month. Fiction, scripture and legend come last.

Frida Kahlo: Frida Kahlo (gelatin silver print, 15.2 by 10.8 cm)2022 · Miami, Florida, USA; Mexico City, MexicoA Miami businessman burned a drawing he said was Frida Kahlo's to sell 10,000 NFTs, and Mexico investigated because her work is a national monumentMartín Mobarak, a Mexican businessman living in Miami, said he owned Fantasmones Siniestros, a 9-by-6-inch ink and watercolour drawing Frida Kahlo is said to have made in her diary in 1944. He valued it at $10 million.Smithsonian Magazine and 2 moreJosé Carreras: 27.02.1972. Don Carlos avec José Carreras. (1972) - 53Fi4217 (cropped)2019 · Miami, Florida, USA; buried in Mexico City, MexicoJosé José's older children searched Miami hospitals and funeral homes for his body, and two wills name different heirsJosé José, the Mexican singer known as the Prince of Song, had pancreatic cancer. In February 2018 his youngest daughter, Sarita Sosa, took him to live with her in Miami.hola.com and 2 moreKim Jung-ju: Kim Jung-ju presenting in 2016 (cropped)2022 · Seoul, South Korea (died in the United States)Nexon founder Kim Jung-ju's family paid inheritance tax with 29.3 percent of his holding company, and the government could not find a buyerKim Jung-ju founded Nexon. He died in the United States in February 2022, aged 54.Korea JoongAng Daily and 2 moreBernard Tapie: Tapie en 2011 en tournée en Belgique pour "OSCAR".2021 · Combs-la-Ville and Paris, FranceBernard Tapie was beaten in his home six months before he died owing the state more than 400 million euros, and his widow lost her flatIn 2008 Bernard Tapie received about 400 million euros from an arbitration over Crédit Lyonnais's sale of his stake in Adidas. The courts later annulled the award and ordered him to repay.thelocal.fr and 3 moreRobert Mugabe: Robert Mugabe Official Portrait (4x5 cropped)2019 · Kutama, Zvimba district, ZimbabweRobert Mugabe left about $10 million and no will, and a village chief fined his widow five cows and ordered his body dug upRobert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until a coup in November 2017. He died in Singapore on 6 September 2019, aged 95.Al Jazeera and 2 moreGugu Liberato: Vagner Santana & GUGU2 (cropped)2019 · Windermere (Orlando), Florida, USA; estate in São Paulo, BraGugu Liberato's will left nothing to the mother of his three children, and a chef who said he was Gugu's partner of eight years sued as wellGugu Liberato, a Brazilian television host, died after an accident at his home in Orlando, Florida, in November 2019.agazeta.com.br and 3 moreGal Costa: Gal Costa e André Midani (Década de 1970) (cropped 2)2022 · São Paulo, BrazilGal Costa's adopted son asked to exhume her and challenged her widow's claim to half the estate, then settled for an equal splitGal Costa died on 9 November 2022, aged 77. Her death certificate gave a heart attack and cancer of the head and neck. No autopsy was done. In 2007 she had adopted Gabriel, then about two, from a shelter in Rio de Janeiro.cnnbrasil.com.br and 4 moreKarlsruhe BGH 2: Karlsruhe, Bundesgerichtshof, Westgebäude und Nordgebäude von Süden gesehen (von der Kriegsstraße)2012 · Berlin and Karlsruhe, GermanyA 15-year-old died under a subway train, and her parents fought Facebook for eight years to read her messagesA girl joined Facebook in 2011, at 14, with her parents' consent. In 2012, aged 15, she died in a subway accident whose circumstances are still unclear. Facebook put her account into memorial status, which locked her parents out.bundesgerichtshof.de and 3 moreMap of United Kingdom, marked on the globe2011 · London, England, UKA dying woman told her mother "I want you to carry my babies," and the Court of Appeal overruled the regulator that refused to release her frozen eggsA young woman, called A in the judgment, was diagnosed with cancer at 21. In 2008, during a remission, she had eggs removed and frozen.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 2 morePlaya Hermosa. Puntarenas. Costa Rica (3): Playa Hermosa. Puntarenas. Costa Rica.2021 · Playa Hermosa, Garabito, Puntarenas, Costa RicaBitcoin pioneer Mircea Popescu drowned off Costa Rica, and no heir or keyholder has come forward for coins said to number up to a millionMircea Popescu was a Romanian-born early investor in bitcoin. He ran his own exchange, MPEx, which charged 30 bitcoin to register.teletica.com and 2 moreFour generations of the Mellon family: Four generations of the Mellon family. From left to right: Judge Thomas Mellon, holding his great grandson Matthew Mellon; William Larimer Me2018 · Cancún, Quintana Roo, MexicoBanking heir Matthew Mellon died with $193 million in XRP, the keys hidden under other people's names, and a deal that let his estate sell only a little each dayMatthew Mellon came from the Mellon and Drexel banking families. His first wife was Tamara Mellon, co-founder of Jimmy Choo; they married at Blenheim Palace in 1999. In late 2017 he put $2 million into the cryptocurrency XRP.dailydot.com and 2 moreMajid Al Futtaim: Majid Al Futtaim with Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed.2021 · Dubai, UAEMajid Al Futtaim died with ten heirs and a $16 billion mall group, and a court set up by Dubai's ruler gave government appointees five of nine board seatsMajid Al Futtaim built a group that controls about $16.5 billion in assets, including the Mall of the Emirates, an indoor ski slope and the Carrefour franchise for more than 300 stores across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.gulfnews.com and 4 moreKfar Aza, January 2024 (SG4): קיבוץ כפר עזה, ינואר 20242023 · Beersheba, IsraelIsraeli troops shot hostage Yotam Haim as he fled his captors, and in 2026 a court let his mother use his sperm for a grandchildYotam Haim, 28, was abducted by Hamas-led militants from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on 7 October 2023. He was held for 65 days.timesofisrael.com and 2 moreMap of China, marked on the globe2021 · Baoshan district, Shanghai, ChinaAn 88-year-old Shanghai man signed his 3 million yuan home over to the fruit seller who cared for him, a court later declared him incapable, and the gift still stoodA Shanghai man surnamed Ma lost his wife in 2011 and his only son in 2017. He lived alone. In 2017, soon after his son died, he signed an agreement with Liu, who ran a fruit stall near his home.bjnews.com.cn and 2 moreSir Ganga Ram Hospital: Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi2020 · New Delhi, IndiaAn unmarried Delhi man froze his sperm before chemotherapy, a court ruled it was property his parents inherit, and the government appealedPreet Inder Singh, 30, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June 2020. Before chemotherapy he stored his semen at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on 27 June 2020. He died on 1 September 2020. He was not married.scconline.com and 3 moreLower Kabete road: Lower Kabete road from lower kabete to UON in kapenguria rd junction2019 · Lower Kabete (Kitisuru), Nairobi, KenyaTob Cohen's body was found in the septic tank of his Nairobi home, and his widow is on trial for his murder while his will leaves the estate to his sisterTob Cohen was a Dutch businessman who lived in Kenya for more than 30 years and ran Philips East Africa. He was last seen alive on 19 July 2019. His wife, Sarah Wairimu, was taken into custody on 28 August 2019.standardmedia.co.ke and 4 moreMap of Tanzania, marked on the globe2019 · Dubai, UAE; estate in Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaTanzanian tycoon Reginald Mengi's will left his estate to his second wife and their twins, and the High Court threw it outReginald Mengi died in Dubai on 2 May 2019, aged 75. A relative, Benson Benjamin Mengi, and three others filed Probate Case No. 39 of 2019 in the High Court at Dar es Salaam to be appointed under his will.theeastafrican.co.ke and 2 moreAI illustration: A laptop and a hardware wallet on a hotel desk in Jaipur, 20182018 · Jaipur, IndiaCrypto CEO Gerald Cotten died in India holding the only keys to C$215 million, and regulators found the money was already goneGerald Cotten ran QuadrigaCX, a Canadian cryptocurrency exchange. On 27 November 2018 he signed a will leaving C$9.6 million to his wife, Jennifer Robertson, and C$100,000 in trust for his two chihuahuas.advisor.ca and 3 moreMap of China, marked on the globe2016 · Shanghai, ChinaDouyin creators sold AI videos of dead actor Qiao Renliang saying he had not really left, and his father asked who gave them the rightQiao Renliang, an actor and singer also known as Kimi Qiao, died in his Shanghai apartment in September 2016, aged 28. Police confirmed suicide.sixthtone.com and 2 moreGulou Hospital 21 2012-11: ​鼓楼医院三期建筑，即其南扩工程，此为北侧庭院。2013 · Yixing and Wuxi, Jiangsu, ChinaA Chinese couple died in a car crash five days before their embryos were to be implanted, and four years later a surrogate from Laos gave birth to their sonShen Jie and Liu Xi, from Yixing in Jiangsu, were both only children. In 2012 they began IVF at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, and four embryos were frozen.blogs.loc.gov and 2 moreNelson Mandela: Nelson Mandela 19942013 · Pretoria and Qunu, South AfricaMandela's eldest daughter put his ID card, shirts and a Robben Island key up for auction in New York, and the state fought the sale to the Constitutional CourtNelson Mandela died in 2013, aged 95. He had spent 18 of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island. In 2021 Guernsey's, a New York auction house, announced a sale of his belongings.Smithsonian Magazine and 2 more