Last-Minute Will Change By 'Brockovich' Lawyer OK'd in Calif.
Edward Masry, the crusty plaintiffs lawyer who supervised paralegal Erin Brockovich, famously handed her a $2 million bonus check at the end of the 2000 movie telling the story of their work on an environmental case that settled for $333 million. But in real life, Masry’s wife of 14 years didn’t do as well.
Two weeks before he died in December 2005, of complications from diabetes, Masry changed his estate plan without telling his wife, and put his share of the couple’s joint trust into a new trust controlled by his children, reports the Daily Journal (sub. req.). On Thursday, a California appeals court upheld the change, in response to a challenge from his widow, Joette Masry that allowing one spouse to change an estate plan without telling the other violates public policy.
“After Joette Masry dies, the money gets split between the couple’s five children—including Joette Masry’s two children from a previous marriage and three children from Edward Masry’s previous marriage,” the legal publication notes. Meanwhile, having her trust expenditures controlled by two of Masry’s children has strained their relationships.
Related coverage:
Independent (2006): “Erin Brockovich: the sequel”
