Robin Williams Estate: Widow Settles Lawsuit Against Actor’s Children
Robin Williams’ widow, Susan Schneider Williams, has reportedly settled her lawsuit against the actor’s children.
TMZ reports that the lengthy and intense battle that erupted between Susan and Robin’s children over the late actor’s estate has come to an end with a confidential settlement.
#BREAKING: Robin Williams Family Settles Fued Over Estate http://t.co/75iayTXnKp
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 2, 2015
Susan Schneider Williams filed an official petition in San Francisco last December requesting clarification of the “ambiguous” trust provisions in reference to Robin Williams’ wardrobe as well as his collection of jewelry, memorabilia, eccentric items, and awards.
According to the Daily News, Susan agreed that the Oscar-winning actor wanted his children to share in the content of Robin’s family estate in Napa Valley, California. However, she also claimed that they were not entitled to Robin’s personal items kept in the couple’s home in Tiburon.
The trustee of the children’s estate reportedly “insisted on gaining access” to the Tiburon home nearly one month after Robin’s death, according to her filed documents. Schneider claimed that she was “forced” to obtain an attorney after she “became frightened of the co-trustees invading her home.”
Susan even went as far as stating that Robin Williams’ watches were “not jewelry and should therefore be treated as contents of the Tiburon home that are part of the Susan Trust.”
Lawyer Allan Mayer opened up to the New York Times in response to Schneider’s claims of intrusion, stating that neither the children nor a representative of theirs went into the house “or had anything taken from it since Robin Williams’ tragic death.”
Attorneys representing Robin Williams’ three children — Zack (31), Zelda (25), and Cody (23) — filed an official response to Susan Schneider’s petition in January 2015.
“The Williams children are heartbroken that petitioner, Mr. Williams’ wife of less than three years, has acted against his wishes by challenging the plans he so carefully made for his estate… For their part, the Williams children have sought to resolve any potential disputes and conclude the trust administration process as quickly and efficiently as possible, to allow them to privately grieve the loss of their father and begin to heal from this tragic event.”
According to the Washington Post, Robin William placed the entirety of his wealth into a trust and listed his three children as its beneficiaries.
The Mrs. Doubtfire actor and stand-up comedian also established a separate trust for his third wife, Susan, that allowed her to keep the couple’s Tiburon home and the “content thereof.”
In an interview with the Associated Press, Susan’s attorney claimed that he did not view it as a “highly contested proceeding.”
“[Susan Williams is] not somebody who has sticky fingers. Mr. Williams wanted his wife to be able to stay in her home and not be disrupted in her life with her children. Compared to what the Williams children were set to receive from their father, this is a bucket of water in a lake.”
Robin Williams married his first wife, Valerie Velardi, in June 1978, nearly two years after meeting her while working as a San Francisco tavern bartender.
During their 10-year marriage, according to People magazine, Robin and Valerie welcomed their only child together — Zachary “Zak” Williams — into the world in 1983.
Robin’s second wife, Marsha Garces, was actually Zachary’s nanny. Robin and Marsha became husband and wife on April 30, 1989. During their 19-year marriage, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Robin and Marsha welcomed their two children — Zelda Rae Williams (1989) and Cody Alan Williams (1991).
Nearly one year after Robin Williams’ second divorce was finalized in 2010, he married graphic designer Susan Schneider on October 22, 2011 in Napa Valley, according to Us Weekly.
[Image Credit: Kevin Winter, Theo Wargo & Elsa/Getty Images]
