Louise Taylor faces questions about whether she improperly enriched herself as the pop star’s business manager.
Tag Archives: Wills and Estates
After 15 Years of Infighting, James Brown’s Estate Is Sold
The sale to Primary Wave Music, for an estimated $90 million, provides resources to ultimately realize the musician’s wish to fund scholarships for needy children.
What Should We Do With Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt’s Island?
In the 1970s, the artists bought a rocky strip of land off the coast of Maine. Now, it’s a place for others to wrestle with their legacies.
Judge Rules to End Britney Spears’s Conservatorship
The pop star had called the arrangement, which governed her life for nearly 14 years, exploitative. A judge ruled it was “no longer required.”
Will the Britney Spears Conservatorship End Today?
A hearing in Los Angeles probate court on Friday could mark the final chapter of a 13-year saga for the singer. Here’s what is at stake.
At Britney Spears’s Hearing, This Twitter Feed Scooped the World
With a deft plan, @BritneyLawArmy kept everyone outside the courtroom abreast of developments in a crucial moment in the singer’s conservatorship.
Judge Frees Britney Spears From Father’s Control
The singer will be without James P. Spears’s oversight over her finances for the first time since 2008 after a judge ruled that the “current situation is not tenable.”
Britney Spears Conservatorship Hearing: What’s at Stake Now?
A judge may take up whether her father should be ousted as her conservator, and whether the arrangement should be ended entirely.
Britney Spears: End Conservatorship, but Remove My Father First
The singer’s lawyer requested the installation of a temporary conservator, citing her need to negotiate a prenuptial agreement and ongoing “anguish and harm.”
Britney Spears’s Father Files to End Her Conservatorship
In a new petition, lawyers for James P. Spears wrote that if the singer “believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance.”
Max Liebermann’s Heirs Compensated for Nazi-Looted Painting
A German foundation, which holds Liebermann’s portrait of his wife and two other works from the Jewish artist’s collection, will retain them but is paying a settlement.
Denmark Now Has Two Little Mermaids. The Famous One Is Suing.
The heirs of the artist behind the Copenhagen landmark want a similar statue torn down. And they want compensation, too.
The Resilience of New York’s Black Homeowners
Black homeownership has declined in the city and nationally in the last 20 years, hindered by gentrification and inequitable lending policies.
Britney Spears Judge Denies Motion to Expedite Hearing About Her Father
A judge overseeing the singer’s case ruled that a court date to address removing or suspending James P. Spears as conservator would remain scheduled for September.
Testing Britney Spears: Restoring Rights Can Be Rare and Difficult
To get out of conservatorship, the pop star will likely have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, an uneasy melding of legal standards and mental health criteria.
Prominent Lawyer in Discussions to Represent Britney Spears
Mathew Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor, plans to attend a hearing on Wednesday and make the case that the singer should be permitted to hire him for her conservatorship battle.
Britney Spears’s Courtroom Plea Spurs Questions for Her Lawyer
The singer said she had not known she needed to petition the court to be released from her conservatorship, placing a focus on the court-appointed counsel who has represented her for 13 years.
The Britney Spears Testimony, as Heard From Outside the Courtroom
While Ms. Spears addressed a judge remotely on Wednesday, fans and conservatorship activists were outside the courthouse, backing her up.
Britney Spears: ‘I Just Want My Life Back’
After requesting to address the judge directly, the singer gave an impassioned speech about her treatment under the conservatorship that controls her life and finances.
Was This Picasso Lost Because of the Nazis? Heirs and Bavaria Disagree.
Officials have refused to refer a dispute over the work held by the state painting collections to a national commission created to review claims of art lost in the Nazi era.
Ron Lieber: Invest in the People You Love
If you’re emerging from the pandemic in better financial shape than before, ask yourself this: What will you spend to renew your bonds, and how will you do it?
What Happens to Philip Roth’s Legacy Now?
His single authorized biography is mired in controversy. Scholars say it shouldn’t be the last word, but they are struggling for access to his vast and in some cases inaccessible private archives.
What Kenzo Left Behind
An auction of the estate of Kenzo Takada, who died last year, was a lot more popular than anyone expected.
I’m the Executor of My Mother’s Estate. What Happens if Her Stuff Doesn’t Sell?
Executors are expected to make prudent decisions about how to liquidate an estate, but what if it’s not as valuable as they think?
Michael Jackson’s Estate Is Winner in Tax Judge’s Ruling
The decision on the value of Mr. Jackson’s name and likeness will significantly lower his estate’s tax burden from the government’s first assessment.
How the Wealthy Are Planning for Biden’s Tax Increases
Financial advisers say they have been flooded with calls from clients who are trying to predict which of President Biden’s tax proposals will become law.
Samsung Family to Pay South Korea’s Largest Inheritance Tax Bill
The Samsung family in South Korea will also donate billions of dollars’ worth of art, including Picasso and Monet.
Britney Spears Asks to Address Court Overseeing Her Conservatorship
A lawyer for the singer told the judge presiding in her case that Spears was seeking to speak to the court on an “expedited basis.”
Maine Officials Say Artist’s Estate Overpaid Lawyers by $3.7 Million
The attorney general demanded in a court filing that the executor for Robert Indiana’s estate repay almost half its legal expenses so far.
Opera’s Biggest Fan Leaves Behind a Sprawling Time Capsule
Pavarotti, Domingo, Sills, Fleming and many more: Perhaps 200,000 autographs are piled in a vacant East Village apartment.
Burt Pugach, Protagonist of a Strange Tabloid Love Story, Dies at 93
In 1959, he had his lover blinded. When he got out of prison, he married her. He called their relationship “a storybook romance.”
Howard Weitzman, Defense Lawyer for the Famous, Dies at 81
A master practitioner of the courthouse-steps news conference, he often made his case in the court of public opinion. He also made lawsuits disappear.
It May Be Time to Start Worrying About the Estate Tax
Most people have been able to pass on assets like a family home without federal tax, but that could be changing.
Britney Spears’s Father Says He Hopes She Won’t Need a Conservatorship
The father’s lawyer shared his opinions on the conservatorship on CNN and NBC News recently, almost a month after a documentary examining the arrangement was released.
Aretha Franklin’s Estate Signs Tentative Deal Over Back Taxes Owed
While the estate continues to dispute the amount sought by the I.R.S., it has agreed to pay or put aside the bulk of its earnings from royalties and other revenue streams.
‘Framing Britney Spears’ Filmmakers Talk About Their Process
The director and a senior editor of the Times documentary answered viewer questions about the media response, the star’s mother and searching for clues on Instagram.
Hitchens Biography Proceeds, Against His Widow’s Wishes
Carol Blue-Hitchens and her late husband’s literary agent are discouraging friends from participating in a book tentatively titled “Pamphleteer: The Life and Times of Christopher Hitchens.”
As Bitcoin’s Price Surges, Affluent Investors Start to Take a Look
Cryptocurrencies, originally a way to conduct business outside the financial system, are increasingly seen as an asset akin to private equity or venture capital.
What Jeffrey Epstein Did to Earn $158 Million From Leon Black
Mr. Epstein specialized in aggressively pitching ways to minimize paying taxes. And not just to Mr. Black, the private equity chief executive who was his main benefactor in his later years.
The Estate Tax May Change Under Biden, Affecting Far More People
In contrast to previous changes, the tax code could be modified in a way that affects everyone who has something of value to leave to heirs.
The Power (and Joy) of Being Prepared
An important lesson of 2020 is that preparation for a health crisis is a gift to the people you love. Today’s Well challenge shows you how.
I.R.S. Says Prince’s Estate Worth Twice What Administrators Reported
The federal government is seeking nearly $39 million in taxes and fees based on a valuation of Prince’s assets that his estate disputes.
New Arrests in Killing of White South African Farmer
A case that made headlines because of perceived racial overtones has taken on new implications after the arrest of the victim’s wife.
Jeffrey Epstein Victim Fund Gets More Claims Than Expected
A victim compensation fund has already paid out millions of dollars, with more claims expected to be approved in the coming weeks.
The Rich Kids Who Want to Tear Down Capitalism
Socialist-minded millennial heirs are trying to live their values by getting rid of their money.
Making Financial Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts
The president-elect is considering tax changes that could affect stock sales, selling a family business and leaving money to heirs. But we still don’t know how much he’ll be able to do.
U.A.E. Changes Laws to Attract Foreign Tourists and Investment
The United Arab Emirates is abolishing lenient sentences for so-called honor killings, loosening alcohol restrictions and lessening the sway of Islamic law over foreigners.
Mary Trump Sues President Trump and Family, Claiming Fraud
Two months after she claimed in a tell-all book that her family cheated her out of her inheritance, Ms. Trump made similar allegations in a civil suit in Manhattan.
Tax Strategies to Embrace, or Avoid, Before the November Election
No one knows the outcome of the presidential race or how Congress could adjust the tax code next year. But there are changes taxpayers can make now, financial advisers say.
With Adult Children Home, Now’s the Time: Talk About Your Money
Riding out the pandemic with family presents the perfect chance to lay it all out: priorities, account balances, end-of-life directives.