Robin Williams’s Wife & Children Fight Over Actor’s Estate

For a man who has been lovingly called by his colleagues as among the kindest, most generous actors in Hollywood, it's sad that the same cannot be said for his family. According to USA Today, his wife, Susan, and children, Zachary, Zelda, and Cody are fighting for his estate, and it's starting to get ugly.

In court papers filed last December in the San Francisco Superior Court, the comedian's third wife Susan has declared that some of his personal items in their San Francisco home have been taken away without permission. She also said that she's entitled to jewelry and memorabilia, as well as other items that Williams specifically said his children should have.

Williams's children said that they are "heartbroken" over the fact that Susan has "acted against his wishes by challenging the plans he so carefully made for his estate."

While the comedian's trust has been amended to include Susan and grant her their Tiburon, CA residence and its contents on the event of his death, the dispute revolves around the definition of the contents: court documents say that Williams wanted his children to get his "clothing, jewelry, personal photos taken prior to his marriage to [Susan]... memorabilia and awards in the entertainment industry and the tangible personal property located in Napa."

As the New York Times reported, both sides display keen interest in Williams's memorabilia, including bicycles, fossil collection, and toy collection, saying that these are tangible and deeply personal reminders of the comedian and actor.

The Hollywood Reporter also noted that the children's filing read, "As the Williams Children grew, so did their father's collections and they shared in their father's excitement as additions were made to his collections."

The documents also showed that the family is still striving for closure after Williams's committed suicide, revealing a gap between the last Mrs. Williams and his children from previous marriages, who are closely-knit and are very big parts of his life.

Another conflict also included the contents of the storage spaces Susan claimed to have been intended by the couple for their Tiburon home, should be interpreted as if they were part of the house itself.

Despite the seemingly clashing interpretation of Williams's trust, Susan's attorney, James Wagstaffe, claims that his client is only seeking for guidance about meanings of certain terms drawn up in the trust. He insisted, "This is not ugly. I would not say this is anticipated to be a highly contested proceeding."

What do you think of this conflict over the comedian's estate?