Los Angeles Probate Attorneys, Sirkin and Sirkin report:
The New York Post recently published an article about the estate of the late, great broadcaster Walter Cronkite who died on July 17, 2009 at age 92. NY Post Article here
The article and some of the comments to the article questioned why Cronkite did not leave any part of his estate to his girlfriend, Joanna Simon. Many readers are asking why and here is what I gathered:
1. His relationship to Simon was a four year relationship.
2. He stated that he did not want to leave her anything out of respect to his deceased wife.
3. His children were his natural heirs.
4. He was generous to Simon during his lifetime knowing he was not leaving her anything in his will.
5. Not marrying his girlfriend eliminated some of the martial property issues.
6. Not leaving her anything, and not specifically disinheriting her made her an uninterested person and in the event of litigation, would give his lawyers an extra argument to raise on the issue of standing.
So was it right or wrong? We will not know yet, but it certainly was the way he intended it.
Mina N. Sirkin is a Certified Specialist Attorney in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law by the Board of Specialization of the State Bar of California. Ms. Sirkin has been a legal expert in the areas of trust and estates to CBS, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Inside Edition, KNX, KFWB and many others. http://SirkinLaw.com/attorneys.html. Tel: 818-340-4479.
Los Angeles Probate Attorneys, Los Angeles Probate, Los Angeles Probate Lawyers
