Lessons from the Estate of Tom Clancy: Careful Drafting Matters

The Wall Street Journal recently reported[1] that in the wake of Tom Clancy’s death, a court battle has begun between Clancy’s widow and his four adult children from a former marriage. According to the WSJ report, Clancy, who accumulated considerable wealth after writing several best-selling books, left an estate with an estimated value of over $83 million. The primary issue leading to the lawsuit is: from which funds should the estate taxes be paid? Apparently, a recent revision to one of Clancy’s estate planning documents –his will—indicates that no estate taxes are to be paid out of any of his wife’s trusts. There seems to be some question about whether or not estate taxes should be paid out of a trust which benefits both Clancy’s wife as well as his children. The attorney now serving as the executor of Clancy’s estate is apparently the same attorney who drafted Clancy’s estate planning documents, including a recent revision of Clancy’s will. However, the attorney’s interpretation of the documents have been called into question by Clancy’s widow. Now that Clancy has passed, ambiguities in his estate plan have led to a conflict among his heirs. The estate planning lawyer is whom you must be hiring when it comes to property related issues.

Unfortunately, these types of ambiguities and legal problems are all too common. Sadly, this is especially true in situations involving blended families. Often, the person planning for his or her estate tries carefully to ensure that all loved ones will be taken care of after his or her death. While the possibilities for accomplishing these objectives are varied, it usually includes the creation of a will and one or more trusts. By leaving this issue to the trust litigation lawyers in the Pasadena area, they will make sure that they handle this case with utmost care and will make sure that the whole family is satisfied by the will of their deceased member.  If the estate planning documents are not carefully drafted, or if a single document is revised without making corresponding revisions to other relevant documents, there is an increased risk that one’s estate will not be distributed as planned. For this reason, it is especially important to not only work with a well-qualified attorney in drafting your estate plan, but also to regularly review that plan with your attorney and ensure that all of your estate planning documents are kept current. The elder law attorneys from Hyannis can help people make their will so they don’t get cheated.

The attorneys at Gunderson, Denton & Peterson, P.C. are experienced in estate planning and are prepared to help you plan ahead for the benefit of your loved ones. Of course, if you have already begun to plan for your estate and would like to review or revise that plan, our attorneys are prepared to help you with that as well.

[1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/tax-battle-brews-over-contested-estate-of-author-tom-clancy-1410985577

Posted by Brent Gunderson

Mesa Location:
1930 N Arboleda #201
Mesa, Arizona 85213
Office: 480-655-7440
Fax: 480-655-7099
Email: contact@gundersondenton.com
Website: GundersonDenton.com

Phoenix Office:
40 N Central Ave #1400
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 480-325-9937
Website: https://gundersondenton.com/phoenix