Expert Witness Blog
Trust and estates expert witness Mina N. Sirkin says it is likely that the nomination of guardian by Michael Jackson relating to the two children he had with his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe may fail because the court did not make the special findings necessary to terminate her paternal rights. Therefore, under California law, Rowe as the mother of those two children will have priority over any nominated “guardian of the person” by Michael Jackson. However, Debbie can’t expect the same results when it comes to guardianship of the estate of the minors. FoxBusinessNews.com reports:
The Jackson case is a perfect example of when guardianship nominations can go bad. Parents who name guardians of the person who were married to the parent of the minors can’t expect their intended results, unless the other parent has actually consented to the nomination in writing in California….
Any and all of Jackson’s life insurances are at risk at this point, even if he created irrevocable life insurance trusts for his minor kids naming those children as beneficiaries. Sirkin continues to say that large policies are subject to many exclusions and the facts of death of Jackson, along with the coroner’s findings, will greatly impact whether those insurance will be paid.