Giving to charity

A law firm from Great Britain joins the list of those suing the estate of Michael Jackson.

A British law firm claiming it was not paid $200,000 it charged for services prior to Michael Jackson’s death has joined the list of creditors suing the estate. But the estate took six years to deny the claim filed in November 2009 as the Hollywood Reporter discusses in “Michael Jackson Estate Sued Over Legal Fees.”

As with most lawsuits against the Jackson estate it is impossible to know which is correct. The Jackson estate believes the law firm’s claim is not valid, but no basis has been given for that belief. The estate intends to fight the lawsuit.

One problem here is that the estate did not make its decision on this creditor’s claim for six years. While administering the estate has been difficult and time-consuming, waiting six years to make a determination on a claim certainly seems excessive.

Estate executors should seek to determine the validity of claims against the estate as quickly as possible in order to pay creditors prior to distributing assets to heirs. Assistance from estate administration attorneys should be sought if executors cannot do that on their own.

Reference: Hollywood Reporter (March 23, 2016) “Michael Jackson Estate Sued Over Legal Fees.”

For more information on estate planning, please visit my estate planning website.

Mr. Amoruso concentrates his practice on Elder Law, Comprehensive Estate Planning, Asset Preservation, Estate Administration and Guardianship.