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Probate and trust law

The cases that made the rules: forged and undue-influence wills, killers barred from inheriting, forced shares for children, trusts, and who inherits when there is no will.

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What do the probate and trust law estate cases show?

A will that pours everything into a private trust keeps the shares out of the public file, but the executors' fees and payments still need court approval and any beneficiary can object to them. When the only heir is a minor, the probate court can appoint a separate lawyer to review the contracts the executors are paying, and that review can end a manager's share of the estate.

Stories
38
Years
350 BCE to 2019
Main regions
Europe, North America, East Asia
Legal traditions
Common law, Civil law
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in probate and trust law, 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.

Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson 1983 (3x4 cropped) (contrast)2009 · Los Angeles, California, USAMichael Jackson's estate put its value at $5.1 million, the Tax Court set $111.5 million, and a judge later ordered $625,000 in bonuses returnedMichael Jackson died on 25 June 2009, aged 50, of acute propofol intoxication; the Los Angeles County coroner ruled it a homicide.abcnews.com and 8 moreElvis Presley promoting Jailhouse Rock: A photograph promoting the film Jailhouse Rock depicts singer Elvis Presley.1977 · Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, USAElvis Presley's probate judge ruled that Colonel Parker's 50 percent share "shocks the conscience of the court" and ordered the estate to sue himElvis Presley died at Graceland, his house in Memphis, on 16 August 1977, aged 42.CourtListener and 10 morePrince at Coachella 001: Prince performing at Coachella 2008.2016 · Paisley Park, Chanhassen, Minnesota, USAPrince died without a will, more than 45 people claimed to be his relatives, and his estate took 6 years and a tax court case to dividePrince was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on 21 April 2016, aged 57. An autopsy found fentanyl toxicity. He left no will, spouse or children.nbcwashington.com and 16 moreAretha Franklin 1968: Publicity photo of Aretha Franklin from Billboard, 17 February 1968. The uploaded photo is a better quality copy of the image shown in the ad. There are no co2018 · Detroit, Michigan, USAAretha Franklin's 2014 will was found in a notebook under her couch cushions, a jury upheld it in 2023, and her estate was still open in 2026Aretha Franklin died of pancreatic cancer on 16 August 2018, aged 76. Lawyers and family said she left no will or trust.wdet.org and 8 moreHoward Hughes: Howard Hughes 19381976 · On a flight to Houston, Texas, USAHoward Hughes left no valid will, a jury found the Mormon will naming Melvin Dummar a forgery, and Texas and California fought over his death taxesHoward Hughes, the aviator, film producer and owner of Las Vegas casinos, died on 5 April 1976 aboard a plane from Acapulco to Houston. He was 70.Cornell Law School, LII and 11 moreTom Clancy: Tom Clancy at Burns Library cropped2013 · Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USATom Clancy signed a codicil 68 days before he died, and the top court of Maryland ruled 4 to 3 that it freed his widow's family trust from estate taxTom Clancy, the thriller writer, was the biggest minority investor in the group that bought the Baltimore Orioles in 1993, and split his stake with his first wife, Wanda, in their 1999 divorce.mdcourts.gov and 3 morePanorama of United States Supreme Court Building at Dusk: Panorama of the west facade of United States Supreme Court Building at dusk in Washington, D.C., United States of America.1995 · Houston, Texas, USAJ. Howard Marshall II's widow Anna Nicole Smith won $474 million in a bankruptcy court, and after two Supreme Court cases her estate got nothingThe Texas oil businessman J. Howard Marshall II married Vickie Lynn Marshall, known as Anna Nicole Smith, on 27 June 1994, when he was 89 and she was 26. He died in Houston on 4 August 1995, aged 90.Cornell Law School, LII and 8 moreLeona Helmsley: Leona Helmsley cropped mug2007 · Dunnellen Hall, Greenwich, Connecticut, USALeona Helmsley left $12 million in trust for her dog Trouble and nothing to 2 grandchildren, and a judge cut the dog's trust to $2 millionLeona Helmsley, a hotel operator and real estate investor, was convicted of federal income tax evasion in 1989. She died of congestive heart failure on 20 August 2007 at Dunnellen Hall, her home in Greenwich, Connecticut, aged 87.NBC News and 14 moreHuguette Clark: Huguette Clark (crop)2011 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USAHuguette Clark's second will cut out her relatives and left her nurse about $30 million, and the relatives settled for $34.5 millionHuguette Clark, a painter, was the youngest daughter of William A. Clark, a Montana senator whose fortune came from copper mining.NBC News and 5 moreMaurice Jarre star (Hollywood Walk of Fame stars): Maurice Jarre star (Hollywood Walk of Fame stars).2009 · Los Angeles, California, USA; property in Paris, FranceMaurice Jarre left his estate to his widow through a California trust, and France's highest court said his children's reserved share did not follow him abroadMaurice Jarre, a French composer, lived in California for more than 30 years and died in Los Angeles on 29 March 2009. He married Fong Khong on 6 December 1984.legavox.fr and 4 moreHawley Harvey Crippen: Dr crippen1910 · Hilldrop Crescent, London, UKDr Crippen was hanged for killing his wife, and the court refused to let his mistress take the wife's estate through his willCora Crippen was last seen at about 1 a.m. on 1 February 1910, after a dinner party at the house in Hilldrop Crescent, London, that she shared with her husband, Hawley Harvey Crippen.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 3 moreEdith Windsor: Edie Windsor DC Pride 20172009 · New York City, New York, USAEdith Windsor paid $363,053 in estate tax because the United States did not recognise her marriage to Thea Spyer, and the Supreme Court struck the law downEdith Windsor met Thea Spyer, a psychologist, in New York in 1963. In 1967 Spyer proposed with a diamond pin instead of a ring, so that no one would ask questions the couple could not answer.Cornell Law School, LII and 2 moreMap of New York, marked on the globe1959 · New York City, New York, USARobert Kaufmann left his fortune to the man he lived with, and two New York juries gave it to his brothersRobert D. Kaufmann inherited minority interests in his family's businesses in Washington. In 1947 he took up painting and moved to New York. In 1948 he met Walter A. Weiss, five years older, who became his paid "financial advisor".Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 2 moreCharles Vance Millar: Charles Vance Millar1926 · Toronto, CanadaCharles Vance Millar left his estate to the Toronto mother with the most babies in 10 years, and 4 mothers with 9 children each split itCharles Vance Millar, a Toronto lawyer and financier with no dependants, died of a stroke in his law office on 31 October 1926.Wikisource (primary text) and 5 moreKerrobert Court House: Currently holds the town office, a museum and various offices.1948 · Saskatchewan, CanadaCecil Harris lay pinned under his tractor for 10 hours and scratched his will into the fenderIn 1948 Cecil George Harris, a Saskatchewan wheat farmer, was trapped under his tractor for about 10 hours. With a pocketknife he scratched into the paint of the fender: "In case I die in this mess I leave all to the wife.news.usask.ca and 2 moreA colorful corner of Baconsfield Park, Macon, Ga. (8367054949): File name: 06_10_014111 Title: A colorful corner of Baconsfield Park, Macon, Ga. Date issued: 1930 - 1945 (approxima1914 · Macon, Georgia, USASenator Bacon left Macon a park for white people only; when the courts opened it to all, it went back to his heirs and became a strip mallAugustus O. Bacon, a Confederate veteran and Georgia senator, signed his will in 1911. He gave 75 acres to the City of Macon as trustee for a park for "the white women and children of the city of Macon".Cornell Law School, LII and 2 more1910-1920 Gumurdjina Komotini Thrace: Historical photo (post-card + greek text) of Komotini2008 · Komotini, Western Thrace, GreeceA Greek Muslim left everything to his wife by notarial will, his sisters invoked sharia, and Greek courts cut her to a quarterChatitze Molla Sali, born in 1950, lives in Komotini. Her husband, a Greek citizen of the Muslim minority of Thrace, made a will before a notary under the Greek Civil Code and left her his entire estate.echrcaselaw.com and 3 moreSt Nicholas' church, Great Munden - geograph.org.uk - 3771574: St Nicholas' church, Great Munden2004 · Great Munden, Hertfordshire, England, UK (the daughter'Melita Jackson left £486,000 to animal charities and nothing to the daughter who left home at 17, and the courts argued over the daughter's share for ten yearsIn 1978, aged 17, Heather Jackson left home without her mother's knowledge to live with her boyfriend, Nicholas Ilott, whom she later married.supremecourt.uk and 3 moreBundesverfassungsgericht - Karlsruhe: Bundesverfassungsgericht - Karlsruhe1994 · Cologne court district, North Rhine-Westphalia, GermanyA German mother disinherited the son who attacked her, he killed her a month later, and two courts still awarded him his compulsory shareA widow had two sons. In 1982 her will named one of them sole heir. The other son had a schizophrenic psychosis and lived with her in her house. He attacked her repeatedly.servat.unibe.ch and 3 moreKottayam Cheria Pally01: Cheria Pally Church outside in Kottayam, Kerala, India selfmade by pitichinaccio, 26 Dec 20051960 · Kottayam, Kerala, IndiaMary Roy's brother told her to leave their father's cottage, she sued, and the Supreme Court gave Kerala's Syrian Christian daughters equal shares back to 1951Mary Roy's father, the entomologist P. V. Isaac, died without a will.LiveLaw and 3 moreMap of United Kingdom, marked on the globe1947 · Brighton, England, UK (the solicitor's practice)A colonel took the trousers off the solicitor who wrote himself into a client's will, went to prison, then beat him in the House of Lords without a lawyerKitty Wells died in 1947 with an estate of £115,000. Her will was drawn up by her solicitor, Frederick Nye, of Brighton, and named Nye as residuary beneficiary. The residue came to £44,000.alrc.gov.au and 2 moreCourt of Appeals (NYPL b11708223-G91F099 037ZB): * Includes views by R. E. Churchill, Aaron Veeder, Jeffers & McDonnald and other photographers and publishers. Robert Dennis Co1882 · rural northern New York, USA; New York Court of AppealsA 16-year-old poisoned his grandfather to stop him changing his will, and New York's highest court took the farm from him in 1889On 13 August 1880 Francis B. Palmer, a widowed farmer, signed his will. He left small legacies to his daughters, Mrs Riggs and Mrs Preston. The rest of his farm and personal property went to his grandson, Elmer E.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 2 moreCaroline Norton: Caroline Norton (1808-77) society beauty and author by GH, Chatsworth Coll.1877 · London, England, UKCaroline Norton's husband claimed her book earnings and her inheritance from her mother, and her campaign changed English property lawCaroline Sheridan married George Norton, a barrister and MP, in 1827. She earned more from writing in a month than he earned at the bar in a year. In 1836 she left him.thegenealogist.com and 2 moreHK Nina Tower 200803: Nina Tower，Hong Kong2007 · Hong Kong, ChinaNina Wang won her kidnapped husband's estate in Hong Kong's top court in 2005, then her feng shui adviser was jailed for forging her willNina and Teddy Wang, married in 1955, built the Chinachem property group. On 10 April 1990 Teddy was kidnapped. He was never found, though US$30 million of a US$60 million ransom was paid. A court declared him dead in 1999.legalref.judiciary.hk and 8 moreBeji Caid Essebsi: Beji Caid Es Sebsi, Interim Tunisian Prime Minister2019 · Tunis, TunisiaTunisia's president proposed equal inheritance for daughters and sons, died before parliament voted, and his successor called the debate falseTunisia's Code of Personal Status of 1956 banned polygamy but kept Islamic inheritance shares: a son takes twice a daughter's share, and a will can dispose of only one-third of an estate.Al Jazeera and 4 moreLuzhou city: Luzhou city2001 · Luzhou, Sichuan, ChinaA dying man in Luzhou left his savings and his ashes to the woman he lived with, and the court gave everything to his wifeHuang Yongbin of Luzhou had been married to Jiang Lunfang for more than 30 years and they had an adopted son. From 1994 he saw Zhang Xueying, and from 1996 they lived together openly. He never divorced.Internet Archive and 2 moreMoot Hall, Keswick - geograph.org.uk - 609044: Moot Hall, Keswick1865 · Keswick, Cumberland (Cumbria), England, UKJohn Banks believed devils and a dead man were pursuing him, left his cottages to his niece, and the court upheld the willJohn Banks was confined in a county lunatic asylum in 1841. After his discharge he kept fixed delusions.The Gazette and 2 moreAI illustration: Counsel argue the Thellusson will before the Court of Chancery in Lincoln's Inn Hall, 17991797 · Plaistow Lodge, Bromley, KentPeter Thellusson locked his fortune away for three generations, and Parliament changed the law to stop anyone copying himPeter Thellusson came from a Genevan banking family, settled in London in 1761 and became a merchant and banker.lbs.ucl.ac.uk and 3 morePortrait of Henry Frederick Howard, 22th Earl of Arundel (1608-1652) title QS:P1476,en:"Portrait of Henry Frederick Howa: Portrait of Henry Frederick Howard, 22th Earl of Arundel (1677 · Padua, Italy; estates in England, UKThe Earl of Arundel's heir went insane in Padua, his younger brothers fought over the family settlement, and the case created the rule against perpetuitiesHenry Frederick Howard, Earl of Arundel (1608 to 1652), had the lawyer Sir Orlando Bridgeman draft a settlement to keep the family land in the family.legislation.gov.uk and 4 moreRobert Aske: Aske affixing his proclamation on the door of York Cathedral1537 · York, England, UKRobert Aske's rebels demanded the repeal of the law that stopped landowners leaving land by will; Aske was hanged in chains, and Henry VIII gave way in 1540English landowners used "uses": others held legal title to land for their benefit. Uses let them avoid the feudal dues owed to the Crown when land passed to an heir, and let them direct who would have the land after death.familyrecords.awh.durham.ac.uk and 5 moreAlfred the Great: Alfred the Great, silver penny; struck 875–880 (obverse)899 · Winchester, England, UKAlfred the Great's will answered his nephews' claim to their father's land, and one nephew rose against Alfred's sonKing Æthelred I of Wessex died in 871 fighting the Vikings, leaving two infant sons, Æthelhelm and Æthelwold. His younger brother Alfred became king.bl.uk and 3 moreArch of Augustus Rimini 1916: Rimini's Arch of Augustus after the 1916 earthquake, in circa 191627 BCE · Ariminum (Rimini), ItalySepticia married an old man to spite her sons and left them nothing, and Augustus gave them her estateValerius Maximus, writing under the emperor Tiberius, collected Roman cases of wills that were overturned. One concerns Septicia, mother of the Trachali brothers of Ariminum.attalus.org and 2 moreM. Tullius Cicero, Capitoline Museum, Rome: Bust of Cicero, Musei Capitolini, Rome, Half of 1st century AD75 BCE · Rome, ItalyPublius Annius Asellus left everything to his only daughter, and the praetor Verres wrote an edict to take it from herThe lex Voconia of 169 BC barred citizens registered in the top census class, with property of 100,000 asses or more, from naming a woman as heir.cts.perseids.org and 3 moreTrajan s column detail: Trajan s column detail91 BCE · Rome, ItalyA Roman soldier came home from war to find that his father, told he was dead, had willed the family estate to othersCicero's dialogue On the Orator, set in 91 BC, has the advocate Crassus cite the case of "the soldier, of whose death a false report was brought home from the army".attalus.org and 2 moreRemains of Basilica Julia: The remains of Basilica Julia at the Forum Romanum in Italy.93 BCE · Rome, ItalyA Roman wrote his will for a son who was never born, and Rome's two leading lawyers fought over whether the words or the intention ruledA Roman citizen made his will while his wife was expecting a child. He named the expected son as heir and provided that if the son died before reaching adulthood, Manius Curius would inherit. The man died.cts.perseids.org and 3 moreAGMA Kleroterion: Kleroterion. This device was used for the jury selection system in Athens. Bronze identification tickets were inserted to indicate eligible jurors who were also d350 BCE · Athens, GreeceClaimants to Hagnias's estate in Athens produced a forged will, lost, and then took the estate by three or four votesTwo courtroom speeches tell this fight: Isaeus 11, On the Estate of Hagnias, and the speech Against Macartatus preserved among the works of Demosthenes.cts.perseids.org and 2 morePortrait of Abutsu-Ni: Portrait of Abutsu-Ni1275 · Kamakura, Japan; Hosokawa estate, Harima province (Hyōgo), JNun Abutsu travelled to Kamakura in 1279 to claim her son's inheritance, died waiting, and the case ended 30 years laterFujiwara no Tameie (1198 to 1275), son of the poet Fujiwara no Teika, entrusted the Hosokawa estate in Harima province to his eldest son, Tameuji, in 1256. In 1273 he reversed himself.edizionicafoscari.unive.it and 3 moreMadina: "Madina" and "Majmua aulia ekram," bazaar art, 1950's Source: ebay, Mar. 2012634 · Medina, Saudi ArabiaFull brothers left with nothing asked the caliph Umar to treat their father as a donkey, and he changed his rulingThe case is called al-mushtaraka (the shared case), al-himariyya (the donkey case) or al-umariyya. A woman died leaving a husband, a mother, maternal half-brothers and full brothers.islamqa.info and 2 more