Dispute Over Robin Williams' Estate To Be Possibly Resolved Soon; Late Actor Prohibited Anyone From Using His Identity After Death

Court proceedings held on Monday at San Francisco led attorneys of the two opposing camps, Robin Williams' wife and his adult children, to set a date when they will discuss how to handle and allocate the personal items of the late actor so that the dispute will be over and done with. It was also revealed that the late actor also made sure that his estate will be protected from future tax liabilities.

According to Page Six, the attorneys in the case now agreed that the two camps would meet informally on April 10 to discuss and resolve the dispute. The lawyer representing Williams’ wife, Susan, claimed that the widow would like to keep the wedding presents they received, the tuxedo that Williams wore on that special day, as well as the snapshots taken on his 60th birthday. On the other hand, the lawyer representing Zelda, Zachary and Cody, who are Williams’ adult kids from previous marriages with Meredith Bushnell, claimed that her clients would just like the problems sorted out as soon as possible so that the dispute will be done and over with. The children also put forward that Williams’ will clearly granted them rights over their father’s clothing, jewellery and photos, as long as they were from before he got married to Susan.

While the family of Robin Williams battle it out over his estate, it has emerged from the same court proceedings in San Francisco that the late actor prohibited the use of his image 25 years after his passing. According to Hollywood Reporter, a legal document showed that anything related to Williams, such as his pictures, projects, and even his name, cannot be used for advertising or future movie projects. Hollywood Reporter claims that this is the late actor’s way of protecting his estate from future tax obligations, which Michael Jackson’s estate suffered from. This is said to be a pioneering and innovative legal move.

Under this move, the late actor only authorises nonprofit organisations to use his identity. In particular, all ownership rights to the actor’s "name, voice, signature, photograph, likeness and right of privacy/publicity" goes to the Windfall Foundation and cannot be used until August 2039. The said document detailing all these was signed on January 31, 2012.

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