From AL.com: Jimmy Buffett’s family embroiled in trust lawsuit, report says
A struggle over control of Jimmy Buffett’s estate has locked family members into a legal battle headed for a trial in January, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“Lost in Margaritaville,” published in WSJ Magazine, delves into the legal battle over the Coral Gables Trust, which holds assets valued at more than $140 million, with some estimates as high as $275 million. Buffett established it with his wife Jane Buffett, as beneficiary and his business manager, Richard Mozenter, as co-trustee.
Buffett died Sept. 1, 2023. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a little over a year later. The Wall Street Journal story opens with signs of family tension at that Hall of Fame celebration: Jane Buffett allegedly had her oldest daughter, Savannah Buffett, seated separately, and sent her a text questioning her loyalty and suggesting that she toe the line given that Jane Buffett was “standing between you and 75 million.”
During the ceremony, Savannah Buffett’s husband was caught on camera mouthing the words “F— you Jane,” which later came to Jane Buffett’s attention. “Say good bye to that 75 mil,” she allegedly texted her daughter.
The fundamental battle, however, is between Jane Buffett and Mozenter. She has accused him of concealing information about the trust while billing it for excessive fees, and of lowballing the amount of income it generates. He has depicted her as someone who has interfered in the trust’s business and who has demanded that the trust support her lavish lifestyle.
Court records in Palm Beach County, Fla., show that in addition to the suit and countersuit between Jane Buffett and Mozenter, there is a third suit involving family members. In that case, Jimmy and Jane Buffett’s two younger children, Cameron Marley Buffett and Sarah Delaney Buffett, have sued Mozenter.
No one in the Buffett family spoke on the record for the WSJ article. One person who did was actress Anjelica Houston, a regular summer guest at the Buffetts’ home in the Hamptons. She was there shortly before Jimmy Buffett’s death.
Referring to an incident that created tension between Jane and Savannah Buffett, Houston said, “it breaks my heart to see what’s happening between Savannah and Jane. Jimmy would never have wanted this.”
I’d never let a Jew anywher near my money
Can’t believe this has been here for 24 hours & no one has said a word. Jimmy would certainly not be OK with this
Jimmy would be heartbroken after working all these years and building an empire . He wanted so much everybody to be happy and the party go on. I’m so glad to see that Zack Brown is stepping in and carrying his legacy like he is. He’s a great performer and Jimmy Buffett was very fond of him. I met Jimmy and his wife Jane in 2002 in Cancun. at the opening of the Margaritaville restaurant at that time, I told him that I wanted to get a Margaritaville in Clearlake. I’m now involved in the Margaritaville franchise that bought the Hilton Hotel across from NASA and is in process of turning it in to a Compass by Margaritaville, I just wish Jimmie was here to see there’s gonna be a Margaritaville on the lake. I hope his family gets everything worked out and Jimmy can look down and be proud of what he left.