Ben Novack was the son of the builder of Miami’s Fountainebleu Hotel. Both he and his 86 year old mother were murdered at the behest of his wife of 18 years, a former stripper, within 3 weeks of each other in 2009 to collect his $10 million estate. His wife was convicted of his murder in 2012 and is now serving life in prison.
Grandma Murders, Grandkids Inherit Millions (Pt. 2)
- Tuesday, 27 October 2015 20:59
- Written by Jay Brinker
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Khloe and Lamar (Update)
- Wednesday, 21 October 2015 20:35
- Written by Jay Brinker
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At the risk of turning this blog into TMZ-lite or another gossip site, Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom have called off their pending divorce. Lamar has recovered enough from his cocaine and Viagra induced coma that he is now in physical therapy.
Coma and Lamar
- Thursday, 15 October 2015 20:23
- Written by Jay Brinker
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Lamar Odom remains in a coma in Las Vegas after being found unconscious in a Nevada brothel after going on a weekend bender with cocaine and herbal viagra. His estranged wife, Khloe Kardashian, is reportedly making his medical decisions for him even though they separated two years ago and signed their divorce papers in July. Los Angeles divorce courts have a four month backlog of divorce cases.
The Wind Cries Stolen
- Monday, 12 October 2015 20:18
- Written by Jay Brinker
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A Tucson guitar shop is being sued by the estate of Jimi Hendrix over the ownership of a guitar previously owned by Hendrix. The shop owner claims to have bought the guitar, valued at between $750K and $1 million, from an individual who obtained it from Sheldon Reynolds, the former husband of Hendrix’s sister. The estate claims that the shop does not have title to the guitar because the guitar was stolen by Reynolds. The estate also claims that the guitar is priceless to the Hendrix family.
Three points:
1. Under Ohio law, a thief can obtain “voidable title” which means that he owns the property until the legitimate owner claims it. However, once the thief transfers the property to a purchaser who is unaware that the property is stolen, the purchaser becomes the lawful owner.
2. If this were an Ohio case, the guitar shop owner would have valid title to the guitar no matter how Sheldon Reynolds obtained it before selling it – whether through gift from his wife (doubtful) or from his 14 year old step-son giving it to him by mistake (less doubtful) or simply taking it – because the shop obtained it from a third party who was unaware it was stolen.
3. In spite of the family’s claim that the guitar is priceless to them, I suspect it is really worth $750K to $1 million to them.
The Final Cut (Robin Williams Pt. 3)
- Thursday, 08 October 2015 20:00
- Written by Jay Brinker
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The widow of Robin Williams and his children from his prior marriages settled their dispute over his estate this week. His third wife was seeking some of his personal belongings, which he left to his children in his will, and funds to continue to reside in their home for the rest of her life. Williams had left her the home in trust, but apparently did not set aside a specific sum to provide for the upkeep of the house for her lifetime. The undisclosed settlement provides that she will have sufficient funds to live in the house the rest of her life, plus she will be able to keep their wedding gifts, a bike they purchased on their honeymoon, a watch, and the tuxedo he wore to their wedding. They also disputed the ownership of various photographs.
Three brief points:
1. This dispute was really about the funds to keep her in their Tiburon house. The rest of the items are inconsequential.
2. I am glad his children were able to allow his widow to have one watch and one bike from his watch and 50 bike collection.
3. In the era of digital photography, does anyone really fight over the ownership of pictures when they are readily reproduced?