Houstons and Browns Feud over Funeral NEXT UP: Money and Whitney's Will
- Tanya Young Williams | TOP NEWS
- Aug 1, 2015
- 6 min read
Various news sources are reporting that the Houston Family and Bobby Brown's family are feuding up to the moment that Bobbi Kristina is laid to rest. The reports indicate that the invitation, obtained by TMZ, instructs the guests to send money to Kristina's aunt, Pat Houston's charity, the Marion P. Foundation, in lieu of flowers. "Leolah Brown, BK's other aunt, wrote on her facebook page, "“The Brown family has just learned that Marion Patricia Houston, AKA: Pat Houston, is asking for the public to send money to her foundation (The Marion P Foundation) on behalf of my niece Bobbi Kristina,” she wrote. “PLEASE keep your money in your pockets and give absolutely NOTHING to the Marion P foundation. Unless you don’t mind supporting such an evil and dirty foundation!”
It appears that Pat Houston's control of the funeral is also upsetting another family member, Dionne Warwick. The Daily Mail reports that singer Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston’s cousin, has threatened to boycott the funeral because Pat wants to make the farewell a Sweet Sixteen-themed funeral. “Dionne is planning a trip and threatening to not attend the funeral because Pat Houston is taking over even though she should be making decisions with Bobby and not doing it on her own,” a source told the Mail. “Dionne resents Pat acting like she is the head of the Houston family when in reality she married into the family. Also everyone knows that Bobbi Kristina and Pat didn’t get along well after her mother died because she was trying to run her life and tell her what to do with the money she inherited. “Pat wants to have a Sweet Sixteen-theme funeral but Dionne feels that is stupid and disrespectful to Bobbi Kristina,” the source said.
Bobbi Kristina Brown's death was announced on Sunday, July 26, 2015 six months after she was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub at her Georgia home on January 31. Three years prior to Bobbi Kristina’s medical emergency, on February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston was found face down in a water-filled bathtub with drug paraphernalia nearby. The Coroner’s report indicates that she died of accidental drowning.
I am very sure that this feud regarding funeral arrangements is merely a precursor to fighting that will escalate now that Bobbie Kristina has passed. The fights will ultimately be about MONEY! A close look at Whitney's clearly establishes who will inherit the rest of her fortune.
On February 3, 1993, approximately one month prior to Bobbi Kristina’s birth, Whitney signed her Last Will and Testament. After signing her will in 1993, Whitney made one change to her will when she signed a codicil (an amendment to the will), dated April 14, 2000. The significant change was that Whitney removed her lawyer as the executor of her will and appointed her mother as executor. After Whitney’s death, the probate court, with agreement from the Houston family, appointed Whitney’s sister-in-law and former manager, Pat Houston, to become executor.
BOBBI KRISTINA WAS THE SOLE BENEFICIARY TO WHITNEY'S ESTATE
According the will, Bobbi Kristina, Whitney's only child, was the sole beneficiary of her fortune. Sadly, with Bobbi Kristina's unlikely recovery, many have questioned, “who gets Whitney and Bobbi Kristina’s money?” Whitney's estate, which is reported to be between $12 million and $20 million, is difficult to define. While rumors of financial trouble hounded Whitney in her final years, music royalties have poured in since her death. It has been noted, "luckily for Bobbi Kristina, the spike in sales after Whitney’s death led to enough money to pay off Whitney’s $20 million in debts, and created another $20 million in net worth for the estate."
The will stipulated that instead of inheriting all of the money at once, Bobbi Kristina would receive the money in payments spread over nine years: 10 percent at age 21, a 1/6 of the pricipal at 25 and the remainder at age 30. At present, Bobbi Kristina has only recieved the first distribution, equalling 10 percent of her trust.
BOBBY BROWN GETS NOTHING FROM WHITNEY'S ESTATE
Whitney and Bobby were married for 14 years. Bobby Brown was named a beneficiary under certain conditions, however their divorce in 2007 nullified Bobby’s claim to her estate. Shirley Whitenack, an estate planning attorney with Schenck, Price, Smith & King in Morristown, says “Bobby Brown's time to contest anything would have been at the time of Whitney's death. He doesn't have any claim just by virtue of having been married to her." More importantly, Bobbi’s Kristina’s inheritance, that is still in trust, does NOT go to her next of kin. The will stipulates that if the beneficiary (Bobbi Kristina) does not live to reach 30, the trust ends. That means any money due her goes back into the trust.
WHITNEY'S MOTHER AND BROTHERS WILL INHERIT REMAINDER OF ESTATE
As the next provision details, the remaining money in the trust, and other property, shall be distributed in equal shares to Whitney's mother and her brothers Michael and Gary Houston (her father, John Houston died in 2003). If Whitney had legally adopted Nick Gordon (Bobbi Kristina's alleged husband), he would have been the next beneficiary of the inheritance as her will expressly included any “formally adopted” child as her “issue”. However, Whitney did not formally adopted Gordon although she cared for him since he was 12 years old.
As seen above, it appears that Whitney had a real concern with the manner in which her brothers would use their inheritance, so she instituted guidelines for the distribution of their money. This may have been due to Whitney's personal knowledge of the alleged drug problems each brother had. Long after the will was written, Michael was arrested for possession of cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of drugs in Fort Lee, N.J. Gary was pulled over while driving in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1996 for possession of crack cocaine.
Whitney's obvious disdain for her half-brother, John Houston III, was highlighted by an affirmative statement of exclusion. John Houston III was the son of Whitney's father from a relationship prior to his marriage to Whitney's mother.
BOBBY BROWN MAY BE ENTITLED TO BOBBI KRISTINA’S ASSETS
Whether or not Bobbi Kristina has her own will and testament is paramount in determining what Bobby Brown could inherit from his daughter. Bobby Brown, Bobbi Kristina's closest living heir would be entitled to any money and other assets she might have. Therefore, any money she did not spend from the10 percent of the trust given to her, and any additional income she earned, could potentially go to Bobby.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MOUNTING MEDICAL EXPENSES
The question that still looms large is, "who will pay for Bobbi Kristina's medical expenses?" Many suggest that because she is an adult with assets, any money due will first come from her estate, which could significantly reduce the amount of money Bobby Brown will inherit. However, due to the wording of the will, some suggest that Whitney’s estate will be responsible for the debt. Unless this matter has already been negotiated and resolved with the insurance company and the Houston and Brown families, I suspect this will be yet another highly publicized battle.
Paul Hughes-Cromwick, senior health economist at the Center for Sustainable Health Spending at the Altarum Institute, told The Wrap "a 60-day hospital stay would start somewhere between and $60,000 and $120,000." He continued, "The cost of Brown’s stay in the rehabilitation facility is clearer. Admittance in a rehab location, Hughes-Cromwick noted, entails “very high costs — as much as a couple thousand dollars or more per day. Ballparking on that estimate, Brown’s stay at the rehabilitation facility so far could conceivably have a price tag in the $165,000 range after about 11 weeks, and counting." Hughes-Cromwick estimates a cost of approximately $265,000 and rising. Many people, who have had long, complicated hospital stays, suggest Bobbi Kristina's bills could easily surpass $1,000,000.
NICK GORDON HAS NO LEGAL RIGHTS TO KRISTINA'S ASSETS
Nick Gordon and Bobbi Kristina held themselves out to be a married couple; however, Bobby Brown's lawyer told the media that the couple was not legally married. There are a few states that recognize Common Law Marriages, but it does not appear that Bobbi and Nick lived in any of those states. Additionally, in light of the fact that the family successfully prohibited Gordon from visiting Bobbi Kristina is another indication that their marriage was not official. A husband cannot be barred from visiting his wife. Absent marriage, the only way that Gordon can receive the entirety of Bobbi Kristina’s current assets would be if she has a will and testament naming him as her heir.
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