Copy of ‘Lady Chatterley’ Used at Obscenity Trial for Sale
A paperback copy of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” used by the judge in the book’s landmark U.K. obscenity trial is expected to sell at auction for up to 15,000 pounds ($20,000).
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Judge Appoints Trustee for Hawaiian Princess’s Millions
A Hawaii judge on Monday made First Hawaiian Bank the new trustee of the estate of Hawaiian princess and sugar cane heiress Abigail Kawananakoa, after finding the 92-year old lacks the mental capacity to oversee the $220 million trust.
Read moreMan Linked to Relatives’ Deaths Seeks Access to Trust Fund
A Vermont man accused by relatives of killing his millionaire grandfather and his mother to collect inheritance money asked a Connecticut probate judge Tuesday to allow him immediate access to $150,000 in a family trust so he can pay for legal expenses.
Read moreWidower Wins Court Battle for Estate of ‘Thorn Birds’ Author
An Australian judge ruled on Friday that best-selling author Colleen McCullough’s widower was the sole beneficiary of her estate following a bitter court wrangle.
Read moreWomen Fight Idaho’s ‘Pregnancy Exclusion’ for Living Wills
Four women on Thursday challenged the constitutionality of an Idaho law that invalidates an adult woman’s living will if she is pregnant.
Read moreMichael Jackson’s Estate Sues Over ABC Documentary
Michael Jackson’s estate sued ABC Inc. and the Walt Disney Company Wednesday, claiming it did not authorize the use of the late musician’s music videos and songs for a documentary that aired earlier this month.
Read moreWorkers’ Vacation Pay Can Be Inherited, EU Magistrate Says
A European Court of Justice magistrate on Tuesday urged his colleagues to overturn a German law that bars heirs from demanding their loved one’s unused vacation time in cash.
Read moreFight Over ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Play Moved to New York
Granting a Broadway production company’s request to move a lawsuit over its stage adaption of “To Kill a Mockingbird” from Alabama to New York, a federal judge said Monday that a live courtroom performance could be needed to decide the case.
Read moreCollector Roasts Sotheby’s on Upcoming Sale of $30M Basquiat
Suing to block Sotheby’s sale of a masterpiece by the acclaimed graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, an 86-year-old collector accused the storied auction house Thursday of “shamelessly” capitalizing on a family in turmoil.
Read moreBroadway Producer Fights Back Against Harper Lee Estate
Hollywood producer Scott Rudin’s theater company filed a $10 million countersuit against the estate of author Harper Lee for trying to block an upcoming stage adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and offered a courtroom performance featuring actor Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch.
Read moreLawsuit Demands Cut of Picasso Painting Sale Proceeds
An estate sale firm claims in Florida court that it was stiffed out of its commission on the $23 million sale of a Pablo Picasso painting.
Read moreSupreme Court Carves Out Appeal in Consolidated Family Feud
Advancing an appeal in a sibling squabble with as many branches as their family tree, the Supreme Court clarified the caselaw Tuesday on consolidated cases.
Read moreHarper Lee Estate Sues Over ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Play
The representative of the estate of famed American author Harper Lee sued a New York theater production company, accusing it of changing too much in its upcoming stage adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Read moreCharles Manson Corpse Not Expected to Be on Ice for Long
The body of murder mastermind Charles Manson may soon be put to rest after a Kern County Superior Court commissioner said Wednesday that she would rule soon in the dispute over who can collect his remains.
Read moreHallyday’s Daughter to Contest Late French Rock Star’s Will
The lawyers for the daughter of late French rocker Johnny Hallyday say she plans to contest her father’s will, which leaves all his property and artistic rights “exclusively” to his widow Laeticia.
Read moreR&B Great’s Widow Sues Late Singer’s Kids Over Inheritance Battle
The widow of R&B star Teddy Pendergrass is suing the late singer’s son and daughters over a protracted estate battle she says has left her emotionally drained.
Read moreKin Seeks Manson Corpse to Put ‘So-Called Monster’ to Rest
The fight for the corpse of Charles Manson was thrown out of a Los Angeles court Friday, as another potential heir stepped into the case and the grandson of the cult leader made an emotional plea to a judge.
Read moreJames Brown
Six alleged biological children of Soul Brother No. 1 James Brown and three grandchildren claim in a federal complaint against his estate that they were cut out of royalties by his allegedly bigamous wife.
Read moreCongresswoman’s ‘Death Tax’ Saga a Lesson in Estate Planning
During her time as South Dakota’s lone congresswoman, Rep. Kristi Noem has long told a tale about the Internal Revenue Service’s crushing “death tax” on her farming and ranching family shortly after her father’s untimely death. But court documents suggest Noem’s story is less a tale of the taxman cometh, and more about bungled estate planning.
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