1 of 3 | Robin Williams pictured with his wife Susan Schneider and daughter Zelda Williams on November 13, 2011. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
License Photo
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Robin Williams' widow, Susan Schneider Williams, and the late comedian's three children from two previous marriages began a battle in court last year over the actor's estate.
According to the New York Times, court documents filed in December by Schneider Williams seek to get more than what was explicitly left to her in the actor's will. Williams' children, Zack, 31, Zelda, 25, and Cody, 23, wrote they were "heartbroken" by Schneider Williams' demands in January.
Before his untimely death by suicide on Aug. 11, Williams, had set up a will naming Zack, Zelda and Cody the sole beneficiaries of his entire estate, with a few exceptions. A separate document, the Susan Trust, grants Williams' widow the Tiburon home they shared, "the contents thereof" with a few exceptions, and enough money to cover "all costs related to the residence" for her lifetime.
Schneider Williams, however, argues in court documents that "expenses associated with daily upkeep as well as unexpected renovations and improvements" should also be included in her portion of the will.
The late actor's children said in their response, that "greed" appears to be the driving force behind Schneider Williams' petition.
"Mr. Williams wanted his wife to be able to stay in her home and not be disrupted in her life with her children," Schneider Williams' lawyer Jim Wagstaffe. "Compared to what the Williams children were set to receive from their father, this is a bucket of water in a lake."
Regarding the actor's collectable items, clothing, awards and additional property, which was all left to Williams' children, Schneider Williams is asking for the right to keep the tuxedo he wore to their 2011 wedding, as well as "knickknacks and other items that are not associated with his famous persona."
