Hey there, Legal Tea Listeners –This is your host, Jenny Rozelle. Welcome back for a special episode of Legal Tea! This episode is our ONE YEAR episode meaning that we have been doin’ this thing for fifty-two whole weeks. I think at one time, I said I may try to do something to celebrate it being one year since Legal Tea started, but let’s be real, keep in mind that I am a full-time attorney, so between that + Legal Tea + having somewhat of a personal life, this episode, sort of, got here fast … so sorry about that! Anyway, on today’s episode, which happens to be a “current trends” episode, we’re going to be looking back at past episodes and bringing you up-to-date on what’s occurred since the episode aired. I think that still counts as “current trends” right?
Let’s dive in!
Update on Prince’s Estate (Episode No. 2)
On episode two, we talked about the musician, the legend, Prince, and what happened following his passing. If you recall, a dispute arose between the Estate and the IRS – and at the time of the episode, Prince’s Estate was still “active.” You see, the Estate representative (Comerica Bank & Trust) said Prince’s Estate value was just north of $80 Million – while the IRS argued it was worth more. (Of course, the more the Estate is worth – the bigger the payday for Uncle Sam!) Well, just a handful of months ago, in January 2022, which was AFTER our Legal Tea episode was released, the IRS and the Estate finally reached a settlement on the Estate’s value. According to Entertainment Weekly, the Estate & IRS agreed that the Estate would be valued at $156.4 Million. So yeah, that was “TBD” when we talked about it – so there’s an update on Prince’s Estate. Since that was still going on, the Estate administration process was still pending – so hopefully they’ll be able to close things out really soon.
Update on Britney Spears’ Guardianship (Episode No. 4)
On episode four, we talked about another musician, Britney Spears, and what happened to lead to her being under a guardianship (and what happened during the guardianship). Well, if you have been totally living under a rock, Britney Spears is no longer under a guardianship. It was terminated in November 2021 – which was after I did the episode on Britney Spears. There was definitely talk about getting it terminated, especially when she got her Attorney, Matthew Rosengart, involved. Beyond that, and much more recently, she got married (which I think, if I remember correctly, was something she was restricted from doing while “under” the guardianship). She married her long-time boyfriend, Sam, in a rather intimate, but star-studded event on June 9, 2022. Word on the street is there was a “rock solid” Pre-Nup in place –good girl, Britney!
Update on Michael Jackson’s Estate (Episode No. 11)
On episode eleven, we talked about yet another legend, Michael Jackson, and what happened following his passing. Well, for this episode’s update, it’s a rather fun one! According to Billboard, in an announcement that came in May 2022, Sony Music and Michael Jackson’s Estate representatives confirmed that on November 18, 2022, “Thriller 40” will be released in honor of the iconic song, Thriller’s, 40th anniversary. What is it, you ask? It will be a double-CD set, which will contain the original “Thriller” song AND never-released songs that Michael Jackson had worked on. So, if you’re a big Michael Jackson fan, mark your calendars for November 18th!
Update on Kobe Bryant’s Estate (Episode No. 14)
On episode fourteen, we talked about the basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, and what happened following his passing. As you may recall, he had a pretty solid estate plan – he forgot to update his Trust to add his last child, but that was sorted out, but required Court involvement to straighten out Anyway, so there’s kind of a cool update related to Kobe and his Estate – in early May 2022, Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, announced that in honor of her late husband and daughter, Gigi, who were killed in a helicopter accident, ten basketball courts across the United States were going to be renovated.
In collaboration with BodyArmor and the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, the Courts will be in LA, Philadelphia, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, and Detroit. She gave fans a sneak peak of the Courts on her Instagram, if you care to check it out. She’s keeping the Mamba Mentality – and having it live on. Love it.
Update on Robin Williams’ Estate (Episode No. 23)
On episode twenty-three, we talked about the actor, Robin Williams, and what happened following his passing. An update that occurred following our Legal Tea episode is that Robin William’s Estate filed a lawsuit in February 2022 against Pandora stating they streamed Robin’s jokes without appropriate licensing, according to TheVerge.com. It is said that the Estate is seeking $4.1 Million in damages from the copyright infringement. Wow – hefty chunk of change! As of now, that is the latest update – so it’s definitely an active/current issue the Estate is dealing with.
Update on Denver Broncos’ Ownership (Episode No. 28)
On episode twenty-eight, we talked about the future of the Denver Broncos football team following the passing of former owner, Pat Bowlen, who had placed the ownership of the team into a Trust. If you recall, there was a lot of talk of one of the kids becoming the owner – but there were arguments and litigation that ensued. Well, just very recently in early June 2022, a headline hit – the Broncos have been sold, and NOT to any of the children.
According to an ESPN article, the price tag is a whopping $4.65 Billion Dollars and the team was sold to the Walton-Penner family. Does that name ring a bell? Well, if it does, it’s likely because the Walton-Penner group is headed by the heir of Walmart, Rob Walton, Rob’s daughter, Carrie Walton Penner, and Carrie’s husband, Greg Penner, along with a lady by the name of Mellody Hobson, who has quite the resume, too – co-CEO of Ariel Investments, Chair of the Board of Starbucks, and a Director at JP Morgan Chase. Things are not yet finalized, but they’re on a good path to be done soon. According to ESPN, the agreement has to be approved by the NFL’s finance committee; though, no issues are expected. Wow!
Update on Wendy Williams’ Guardianship (Episode No. 34)
On episode thirty-four, we talked about what was going on with Wendy Williams. So, Wells Fargo thought that Wendy was incapacitated and asked the Court to designate a Guardian for Wendy to control her financial affairs. Well, that episode came out in February – and following that, according to a News 10 article by Justyn Melrose, in March, a temporary guardian WAS indeed appointed and then in May, a new/perhaps more permanent guardian was appointed. That guardian – like, who it is – has not been publicly shared. Though, as the piece states, Wendy and her lawyer are still pushing back and arguing the guardianship is not necessary. So, it sounds like this is still pending/active – and probably way more to come on this!
Update on Betty White’s Estate (Episode No. 41)
On episode forty-one, we talked about the lovely Betty White, and what happened following her passing. If you recall, Betty had a rock solid estate plan, which really shouldn’t surprise any of us because … it’s Betty White! Though, in terms of an update (especially because it’s been less than a year since she passed away), things are still going on – like, for example, according to Town & Country Magazine, many of Betty’s personal property items are going up for auction this-coming September 2022. A company by the name of Juliens Auctions shared in a statement that the auction will go on over the course of three days and offer “an exclusive collection of 1,500 lots featuring the Hollywood icon’s awards, scripts, wardrobe, memorabilia from her iconic television shows and films, as well as furnishings artwork, fine jewelry, household and personal items.” So yeah, if you want to have a piece of Betty White, tune in for the auction on September 23, 2022 (I may have to tune in!).
Update on Kurt Cobain’s Estate (Episode No. 44)
On episode forty-four, we talked about the famous musician, Kurt Cobain, and what happened following his passing. Well, for all my Indiana listeners, I have a fun update following that episode and it relates, ironically, to our great state of Indiana. In late May 2022, one of Kurt Cobain’s famous guitars (the blue one that is featured in Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit” video) was auctioned off. Who bought it, you ask? Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, did and he bought it for 7 flipping figures! He bought it for $4.5 Million dollars – oh my gosh. I wish I had that kind of money to play with! But yeah, that’s kind of cool, fun update –especially for my Indiana listeners.
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There are, of course, updates to other episodes; though, I thought the ones mentioned here on this episode seemed to be the “bigger” or more interesting updates. It worked out beautifully that the 52nd episode was a “current trends” episode, so I can bring up-to-date what has happened in some of our past episodes.
Before we wrap this episode up, I would be remiss if I did not express my gratitude to you, Legal Tea Listeners. Not sure how we’ve been doing this thing for a whole year, but here we are! I was sharing with a friend the other day when we were talking about my podcast that I really enjoy doing this – it not only is interesting to me, but it also keep me on my toes as an attorney, too. There are some topics that I have dove into on this podcast that I probably would not have dove into and researched had I not been doing this podcast. I’m constantly looking for topics and materials to chat about on here, so when I do find a good/solid topic, I dive into it – and while some of the episodes may feel like I’m sharing with you and teaching you, I’ve learned a lot myself. So, win – win! Got to love a win, win!
Actually on that note, if you have a topic or episode that you’d like to hear, feel free to let me know through any of the social media channels (I watch them all, I promise!) and/or through email at LegalTeaPodcast@gmail.com (which comes right to my phone). I’m all ears for new things to chat about, especially as we start to head down the path of another 52 weeks!
Alrighty, next week’s topic is on estate planning of the rich and the famous – on that episode, we’re going to talk about the country musician, Hank Williams, and his drama-filled estate process after he passed away. Tune in next Tuesday, Legal Tea Listeners, to hear all about it. Talk to you then and stay well!
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