Over thirty-five years after Bing Crosby’s death, the California Court of Appeal put an end to the continuing battle over the Crooner’s right of publicity.

I Can’t Begin to Tell You

In 1930, Harry Lillis Crosby—nicknamed Bing for his love of a newspaper parody, “The Bingville Bugle”—married first wife, Wilma Wyatt (known professionally as Dixie Lee). The mother of his first four sons, Wilma died in 1952. In her Will, Wilma gave her community property to her two sons, which was held for their benefit in a trust known as the Wilma Wyatt Crosby Trust (the “Wilma Trust”).

Over the next several years, Bing was regularly the topic of gossip as he romanced several of Hollywood’s most beautiful women. In 1957, Bing married Kathryn Grant, a young actress and singer that Bing met on the Paramount lot. Together they had three children and remained married until Bing’s death on October 14, 1977 on a golf course in Madrid.

Bing left the residue of his estate to a trust for the benefit of his wife, Kathryn. Subsequent to Bing’s death, HLC Properties, Limited (“HLC”) was formed for the purpose of managing Bing’s interests, including his right of publicity.

Pennies from Heaven

Under the common law of California, there exists a “right of publicity” in a person’s name, likeness and identity. In 1971, the California Legislature established a statutory right of publicity in a person’s “name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness.” After a controversial California Supreme Court decision in 2007, the California Legislature clarified that the right of publicity is freely transferable “by means of trust or testamentary documents.”

 

Continue Reading Celebrity Trusts & Estates: Another Battle in the Saga of Bing Crosby’s Right of Publicity Comes to an End

EdCThe California Court of Appeal for the Sixth Appellate District issued a ruling Tuesday in Lintz v. Lintz, 2014 Cal. App. LEXIS 27 (6th Dist. January 14, 2014) adopting the reasoning of the Second Appellate District regarding the standard for legal capacity to execute a trust instrument (as announced by the Second Appellate District in Anderson v. Hunt, 196 Cal. App. 4th 722 (2d Dist. 2011)).

In Lintz, the Court concluded that the probate court erred by applying the testamentary capacity standard (i.e., Probate Code section 6100.5) to the trusts and trust amendments in question instead of the “sliding-scale contractual standard” outlined in Probate Code sections 810 through 812. In this case, as the Court noted, the trust instruments were “unquestionably more complex than a will or codicil. They addressed community property concerns, provided for income distribution during the life of the surviving spouse, and provided for the creation of multiple trusts, one contemplating estate tax consequences, upon the death of the surviving spouse.”


Family Drama

Casey Kasem’s three adult children from his first marriage have spent the last several months in L.A. County Superior Court fighting their stepmother, Jean, for control of their father’s personal affairs through a conservatorship proceeding.

Casey’s daughter Julie originally filed a petition seeking to be appointed conservator of her father based on claims that Jean had been isolating the beloved American Top 40 host since he became essentially bedridden this past summer due to advanced Parkinson’s Disease. The petition alleged that their stepmother (best known for playing the wife of Nick Tortelli on “Cheers”) has refused their visits despite their father’s requests. Since such accusations of isolation are considered a form of elder abuse in California, Jean naturally denied these claims, saying that unspecified “disturbing” conduct by the stepchildren would make visits in the family home an “intolerable and unpleasant experience for us all, including specifically [for] Casey.”

Despite the accusations of abuse, the children’s request for an emergency conservatorship was denied on November 19, 2013. At that hearing, the judge indicated that Casey was “receiving either good to excellent care” and found “no good cause for a temporary conservatorship.” However, the independent court investigator’s report confirmed that Casey wants to see his children. In light of this, the court instructed each side to set aside its “bad blood” and attempt to resolve their problems. Predictably, Jean’s initial offer to allow the children to see their father for one hour per month under heavy security was rejected by the children. Jean and Julie announced at the December 20, 2013 hearing that they have reached a settlement regarding visitation, though the details were not revealed. Casey’s other daughter, Kerri, has so far been unwilling to agree to the restrictions Jean wants to place on visitation and says she may file a petition to see her father without those restrictions.

Continue Reading Celebrity Trusts & Estates: Casey Kasem Conservatorship Battle Highlights the Need for Clarity Regarding Control over Visitation

When it comes to setting up a revocable trust, most people are primarily concerned with avoiding the time and expense associated with the probate process. To avoid probate, it is crucial that legal title to any real property is transferred to the trustee of the trust. In discussing the importance of funding the trust with real property, many clients want to know whether or not the transfer to the trust will trigger an acceleration of the debt on the property under a “due-on-sale” clause. Although the question is fairly common, the answer is not as straightforward as you might expect.

 Transfers of a Personal Residence

Under federal law, due-on-sale provisions are regulated by the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 (Garn Act). The Garn Act, as interpreted by the Code of Federal Regulations, prevents a lender from enforcing a due-on-sale clause when a home is transferred to a revocable trust in which the borrower is a beneficiary and the home is occupied (or will be occupied) by the borrower. As far as California law is concerned, a due-on-sale clause cannot be enforced if the property transferred into the revocable trust is “residential property” and the borrower is a beneficiary of the trust. Here, “residential property” is defined as “any real property which contains at least one but not more than four housing units.” Therefore, under both federal and California law, transferring your personal residence into your revocable living trust will not trigger a due-on-sale clause.

Continue Reading Avoiding Acceleration: How to Put the Brakes on Due-on-Sale Clauses when Funding Your Revocable Living Trust with Encumbered Real Property

HilaryLThere has been a lot of talk lately about repealing parts of Proposition 13.   Passed in 1978, under this initiative, property tax increases are severely limited. The resulting loss of tax revenues was devastating to the public school system and other infrastructure in California.  Democrats who now have a supermajority in the state legislature are looking at their supermajority as an opportunity to turn that around.   In addition, recent polls show that a majority of Californians are in favor of a repeal of Proposition 13 as it relates to commercial (non-personal residence) properties.  For an extended read about the recent polls of Californians who are in favor of a repeal of Proposition 13 see the following SFGate: Poll Finds Support for Prop. 13 Change .

In addition, Proposition 13 has recently even come under attack by its usually staunch supporters due to a perceived abuse of loopholes (See LA Times Article).   In response to this perceived abuse, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has introduced a bill to plug the “loophole.”

The basic rule of Proposition 13 is that increases to the property tax are limited to not more than 2% each year until sold or otherwise transferred, for example by gift or inheritance;  such sales or transfers are referred to as a “change of ownership.”  It is not quite that simple, however.  Property passed to children under the parent/child exemption is exempt from reassessment for a home regardless of value, and for other property up to $1 million in assessed value. Assessed value is the amount for which property is assessed on the property tax bill, not the fair market value of the property.  Since property tax increases are so severely limited under Proposition 13, that $1 million exemption can cover a lot of property if the property has been held for a long time.

In addition, if property is held in an entity,  such as a corporation, partnership or LLC, then until more than 50% of the property changes hands, or one person gains control (obtains more than 50%), transfers of interests within the entity are not deemed to be a “change of ownership.”  The parent/child exemption does not apply to these transfers; so once more than 50% of the entity is transferred to the children, or one person obtains control, there will be a “change of ownership” and a reassessment even if the interests do pass to children.

Continue Reading Uncertainty Surrounding the Repeal of Proposition 13 May be a Reason to do Tax Planning Now to Avoid Increases in Property Taxes Later