Anne Heche’s accidental death a few months ago was a shocking reminder of how unexpected and unpredictable life can be.    You’ve undoubtedly heard the story – while driving through the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 5, 2022, Heche was involved in a car crash and succumbed to her injuries a week later. The official cause of death was burns and smoke inhalation. 

Heche’s situation has provided some tough lessons about the need for estate planning, which have become more complex in the months following her death.  She apparently didn’t have a Will, and all that was presented to the Court was an email purporting to appoint her ex, James Tupper, as the administrator of her estate and dividing everything equally among her two children as they attain the age of twenty-five.

It’s highly unlikely this email will be honored, as it was not in Heche’s handwriting, it wasn’t signed, and there were no witnesses.  It appears most likely that her estate will now go through a very long and public probate court proceeding. Heche is hardly alone in not having a Will. It’s estimated 2/3 of Americans don’t have any estate plan – that may be easier for those 2/3, but it will wreak havoc on the survivors who will be forced to deal with lawyers and accountants and courts instead of having the time to privately grieve the loss of their loved one.

You can create a simple estate plan, or a complex estate plan, depending on your assets, family and desires, but having any estate plan is the biggest gift you can give your family. If you want to discuss your own plan and whether it still meets your needs, contact us today.