An Emotional Battle Over Williams' Estate

The estate battle between Robin Williams' family highlights the contentious situations that can arise when spouses and children from previous marriages are dealing with the stress of the loss of a loved one along with ambiguities in estate planning documents. The dispute is centered around who receives memorabilia from Williams' career and personal belongings such as clothing and photographs.

Williams' widow and third wife, Susan Schneider Williams, has alleged that belongings were removed from the home she had shared with Williams' in the days following his death, and that she has not been allowed to grieve due to the estate disputes. A representative for Williams' children has stated that nothing has been removed from the home by or at the direction of the children. The tension between the two sides can be seen in the children's court filings, which mention the fact that Schneider Williams had been married to Williams for under three years along with their assertion that she has not honored his wishes for the treatment of his estate.

See Dave Itzkoff, Robin Williams's Widow and Children Tangle Over Estate, The New York Times, Feb. 2, 2015.

Special thanks to Jake Rutherford (Texas Tech University School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.