Robin Williams' widow and children have fallen into a bitter dispute over the late actor's money and possessions six months after his untimely passing.
Williams' third wife, Susan Schneider Williams, and his three children, Zak, Zelda and Cody Williams, are both making claims to his estate in court documents filed in December and January, according to The New York Times.
Schneider Williams filed her legal papers just before Christmas and outlined what she believed she was entitled to from her husband. The children responded in January, filing their own documents that claim their stepmother has "acted against [Williams'] wishes by challenging the plans he so carefully made for his estate."
The comedian filed a will in Marin County, Calif., that left the entirety of his estate to a trust "whose beneficiaries included his three children," according to the Times. Williams updated the trust after his 2011 marriage and created the separate "Susan Trust."
Her trust's provisions included ownership of their home in Tiburon, Calif., where Williams committed suicide on Aug. 11, 2014, at age 63. He also would designate enough funds to cover "all costs related to the residence" for the rest of her life.
Schneider Williams claims this clause should cover "all expenses associated with daily upkeep as well as unexpected renovations and improvements." Papers filed by the children show she's already completed a $30,000 renovation project.
The battle focuses on Williams' accumulated wealth over his 40-year career as well as his personal items that may hold sentimental value to both parties. The three kids took offense to Schneider Williams' reference to some of those items (i.e. graphic novels, action figures, movie posters and other memorabilia) as "knickknacks" in her legal filing.
"These collections were carefully amassed by Mr. Williams over his lifetime and were precious to him," their court response read, according to the Times. "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 collection."
Schneider Williams has acknowledged that she cannot claim any memorabilia associated with her husband's career in the entertainment industry such as his accolades or props collected from his movie and TV shows (i.e. the suspenders he wore on "Mork & Mindy").
The widow claims she only received three days notice that Williams' children would come to the Tiburon home to collect the items they believed rightfully belonged to them. Schneider Williams blocked their access because she claimed that she "became frightened of the co-trustees invading her home."
The kids counter-argued that she still is denying them entry. They also stated that they want to resolve all matters "as quickly and efficiently as possible, to allow them to privately grieve the loss of their father and begin to heal from this tragic event."
