It was a shock when
Larry King passed from complications of COVID-19 early last year. Shortly after his death, his current wife, Shawn Southwick, filed suit contesting King's 2019 handwritten Will.
Southwick alleges that King's eldest child, Larry King Jr. (whom the talk show host didn't meet until Jr. was well into adulthood) held undue influence over his father. The 2019 Will, which leaves his estate to his 5 children, conflicts with a 2015 Will that names his wife as executor of the estate. This Will was formally drafted.
The additional complication is that King had filed for divorce from Shawn. She argues that he didn't seem to really want the divorce and had participated in counseling while not participating in the divorce proceedings. Reconciliation was even possible until his health made it impossible.
The lawsuit was settled confidentially in June. It also was only applicable to a small portion of King's estate as the bulk was in the Larry and Shawn King 2015 Family Trust. The handwritten Will doesn't state who should be the executor, only how the funds should be distributed so whichever way the judge would have decided it might not have made that much of a difference.
While it's better to have a handwritten Will than no Will at all, it's even better to have a Will drafted by someone who knows what they're doing and have it properly executed. Luckily, we help people get things set up the way they want all the time and would be more than happy to give you a hand. Contact
Harrison Estate Law, P.A. today.
