Taxation & Estate Planning

More on George Allen Smith IV Cruise Ship Death

By Joel A. Schoenmeyer

I previously blogged about George Allen Smith IV's mysterious death and the probate proceedings surrounding it here and here.

The case is still in the news (here). Basically we're talking about a battle between the deceased honeymooner's wife and his parents. Note that, in Illinois, we wouldn't be talking about such a battle, assuming Mr. Smith died intestate (without a Will). In that case, he would leave only one heir: his wife. But in Connecticut, under this statute, the decedent's surviving spouse receives the first $100,000 and then 3/4ths of the rest of the probate estate, with the decedent's parents evidently receiving the other 1/4th. As a result, the decedent's parents have a very clear interest in the estate.

Full post as published by Death and Taxes Blog on June 11, 2009 (boomark / email).