Celebrity Estate Planning - Estate of Lawrence Inlow - Episode 207
- Jenny Rozelle, Host of Legal Tea
- Jul 29
- 7 min read
Hey there, Legal Tea Listeners! This is your host, Jenny Rozelle. We are here for episode 207 –and we are circling back to an “estate planning of the rich and famous” episode where we chat about celebrities and their estate planning (or lack thereof!). Today’s episode is about Lawrence Inlow, and as I said at the end of last episode, it may be a name you may not know – unless you are in my State of Indiana. Even then, I am sure a lot of Hoosiers do not immediately recognize his name, but I’m counting him for this type of “celebrity estate planning” episode because 1) I am going to deem him a bit of at least a local-to-me celebrity since he has parks and buildings named after him (and hey, it’s my podcast!) and 2) he had some wild estate drama that happened following his tragic death – so yeah, that’s what today is about. Lawrence Inlow’s Estate. As we always do, let’s talk a little about Lawrence first as a person, then get into what happened following his death.
Who was he? Hailing from the State of Ohio, Lawrence was born in Peebles, Ohio in July 1950. He attended the University of Cincinnati and ultimately, Harvard Law School. Professionally-speaking, Lawrence was the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Conseco, now known as CNO Financial Group based in Indianapolis-area. Prior to his time at Conseco, he was in private legal practice at the firm Henderson, Daily, Withrow, and DeVoe, where he worked from 1975-1986. In 1986, that’s when he transitioned to Conseco – and where he stayed until his death in 1997.
Prior to his death, according to Wikipedia, he was heavily involved and very charitably inclined with his time and money – by supporting the Boy Scouts of America, Carmel Dad’s Club, the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis, and even Indiana University – which is how I am personally familiar with his name. Lawrence had actually gifted $5 Million Dollars to Indiana University for the construction of a new building – the law school building on the Indianapolis campus, which in 2001, the school named the building Lawrence W. Inlow Hall.
More personally-speaking, Lawrence was married two times – with his second wife being who he was married to when he passed away. Her name was Anita Inlow. Together, he and Anita had one child named Jesse. Though, in his first marriage, he had four children – named Jason, heather, Jeremy, and Sarah. This is according to the Court records.
According to a Kokomo Tribune article, on May 21, 1997, Lawrence was getting out of a helicopter and was struck by the main rotor of a corporate helicopter as he walked away from the aircraft. The accident occurred because Lawrence turned left and walked toward the front of the helicopter instead of following the proper safety procedure of walking directly from the right side. The helicopter's main rotor, which spun approximately 11 feet off the ground at full power, had begun slowing down after landing. As the blades slow down, they flex downward due to their weight and can be pushed even lower by wind gusts, creating a deadly hazard for anyone walking near the front of the aircraft. Federal aviation sources called it an extraordinarily rare tragedy that highlighted the importance of following helicopter safety procedures. Lawrence sadly passed away as a result of this accident at the age of 46 years old.
When Lawrence died, the fallout wasn’t just emotional—it triggered years of estate litigation that would eventually wind through both state (of Indiana) and federal courts. Crazy enough, Lawrence died without a Last Will and Testament, despite his professional background and significant wealth. His estate, once estimated to exceed $100 million, became a cautionary tale of what can happen when a high-net-worth individual fails to engage in even basic estate planning. Under state (of Indiana)’s laws, when someone dies intestate (which is what it’s called when someone dies without a will), their assets are distributed according to the state’s intestacy statutes. This meant that Lawrence’s estate would be divided among his surviving spouse, Anita, and his five children. However, the statute could not resolve the interpersonal complexities, competing interests, and administrative challenges that followed.
Soon after his death, the court appointed a personal representative (also known as an executor) to manage the estate’s administration. They appointed Karl Kindig, who was a local attorney, but eventually, Fifth Third Bank was appointed as successor personal representative. As an article by Dentons, a law firm, states, “It will never be known if [Lawrence] would have wanted either Mr. Kindig or Fifth Third Bank to settle his affairs after death. Without a Will, the Court was forced to make that decision…”
With so much money and so many parties involved, it did not take long before disputes broke out. One of the disputes that occurred was when all the lawyers and accountants got together and decided that Anita should get an $18 million partial distribution from her Lawrence’s estate. They originally agreed she'd pay the taxes on it using something called the 65-Day Rule, but then the Personal Representative/Executor (Mr. Kindig, at the time) changed his mind and decided the estate would cover the taxes instead. Well, that of course did not sit well with the four older kids from the husband's first marriage - they basically said "hold up, that's our money" and sued Anita for both the $18 million and the tax payment. This kicked off years of legal battles between the older kids on one side and Anita plus her minor child Jesse on the other. The court ultimately sided with Anita in 2003, saying that Mr. Kindig had the authority to make that tax decision. So after six years of fighting, Anita got to keep her $18 million distribution.
Years after the initial $18 million fight, the family found themselves back in court over funeral expenses - the kind of thing that could have totally been avoided with an estate plan. Lawrence had quite the elaborate send-off, costing nearly $300,000 for his funeral, burial, and mausoleum, which Anita initially paid out of pocket for (as in paid for it personally). She ended up getting reimbursed by the estate, but then things got messy again. The family had also settled a wrongful death lawsuit for about $885,000, and the estate (now managed by Fifth Third Bank as the Personal Representative and Executor) along with the four older kids decided they wanted that funeral money back - but taken from the wrongful death settlement instead of the estate. Anita fought this, and it dragged through the courts for five years until reaching the Indiana Supreme Court in 2009. The older kids technically won and got their funeral money back from the wrongful death fund, but it was hardly worth it - they spent over $100,000 in legal fees just to recover $284,000. Yep.
Another legal battle involved whether heirs had the legal standing to sue professionals hired by the estate—such as accountants—if they felt those professionals had mishandled the administration and caused financial harm. The courts largely said no: only the personal representative of the estate could bring such claims, not the heirs. This legal principle became important as some of the children and Anita expressed concerns over how the estate was being managed and whether fees and decisions were truly in the best interests of all beneficiaries.
There were also disputes over Lawrence’s funeral arrangements themselves. His first wife—who was acting as guardian for their minor children—tried to assert authority over where he should be buried. But the court ruled that the personal representative of the estate had the final say under Indiana law, highlighting a lesser-known legal fact: in the absence of explicit instructions in a will or pre-need document, the executor—not the spouse or next of kin—has legal authority over final disposition. Now, that’s Indiana – so be sure to check you state-specific laws, if this is something you’re worried about – or, you can just be a planner at heart like me and do a funeral pre-planning document!
Further intensifying matters, questions arose about whether certain estate planning vehicles had been properly implemented before Lawrence’s death. One issue involved an irrevocable life insurance trust (commonly and informally known as an ILIT) that was either not fully funded or not administered properly, raising concerns about whether key planning objectives—like removing life insurance proceeds from the taxable estate—were actually achieved. The courts did NOT find wrongdoing, but the situation underscored how even sophisticated planning tools can be undermined by a lack of follow-through or clarity in execution.
And as if all that weren’t enough, there was also a major federal products liability lawsuit filed by Lawrence’s heirs against the helicopter manufacturer, alleging that a defective rotor blade had caused the fatal accident. That case was ultimately dismissed, with the settlement from Conseco serving as the primary financial recovery.
All of this—dozens of court filings, multiple appeals, and complex litigation—stemmed from the lack of even a simple Last Will and Testament and a clear estate plan. The legal costs, delays, and emotional toll could have been dramatically reduced or even avoided with a thoughtfully crafted estate plan, particularly one that addressed the realities of Lawrence’s blended family and significant wealth. For that reason, in the end, the estate of Lawrence W. Inlow serves as a case study in really what NOT to do. Despite being an accomplished attorney himself, Lawrence left behind no documented wishes, no designated fiduciaries, and no legal roadmap for how to manage or divide his estate. As a result, his survivors—consisting of his second wife and children—were pulled into lengthy and expensive legal fights. Shew – what a doozy of an estate and doozy of an episode!
Alrighty, let’s wrap this one up and shift to a sneak peak at next week. Next week we’re back to a “cautionary tale” episode where we talk about real-life clients, real-life cases that I, or my office, have worked on -or- maybe they are just generally good things to know/be aware of so you don’t slip up and turn into a cautionary tale one day. Next week’s episode is going to be about how important asset ownership is, and how it seriously impacts an estate plan so much more than people think. Next week’s episode This episode shares a story to caution against adding someone (like a child) to your assets like bank accounts or property, as it can create unintended legal and tax consequences even when done with good intentions. So that is next week, Legal Tea Listeners…until then, take care and be well!
Sources:
Comments