Many in Woodland Hills may assume that the estate administration process is a brief, fleeting matter that those to whom it may concern will only have to deal with for a short time. While that may be the case in certain situations, other cases may continue on for years as disputes and other matters are dealt with. The size of an estate may certainly play a factor in how long it takes to be properly executed and closed. Larger estates with a high volume of assets may take longer to disperse. Questions involving liability in the death of the testator of such an estate may serve to further delay its administration.
Such appears to be the case with the estate of the late actor Paul Walker. The actor was killed in late 2013 when the Porsche he was riding in was involved in a crash. A judge recently ruled that the automaker could be held liable for the accident. Around the same time, Walker’s daughter was awarded over $10 million from the estate of the man who was driving the car that her father was killed in. Now, negotiations have begun to return the late actor’s collection of exotic cars. A worker at the warehouse were the vehicles had been stored reportedly took them in an attempt to extort Walker’s family. Walker’s estate, in turn, filed a lawsuit against him. It is now being reported that a settlement has been reached that will allow the estate to re-take possession of the cars.
As this case demonstrates, resolving all of the issues that can arise with an estate can be a long, drawn-out process. Such a process may be easier to manage if one has the assistance of an experienced attorney.
Source: Motor Authority “Dispute over Paul Walker’s cars finally settled” Ganz, Andrew, July 13, 2016
