billypootons wrote:
how much money was left after his death to fight about?
lawyers will take most of it. congress passed a "2nd wife" law; part of Federal tax law that allows families to override a 2nd wife's traditional "dower" interest in states that still have such things. e.g, one-third of real property in Michigan. you the surviving children of the first marriage agree to take care of the 2nd wife until she kicks and you get stepped up basis (dated to the date of death of the common husband/father) as well as the 2nd wife's tax exemption for the estate. that is, once the 2nd wife passes, as long as the kids of the first wife have taken care of wife 2 for the time period btw the husband/father passing and 2nd wife passing, they get the entire remaining estate with as much of a tax exemption as both husband and wife combined are eligible for. Sounds like Sager didn't do this; which means even if the kids get any of his estate, they are likely to get ass-fucked by the IRS--the only winners in any estate battle, besides the lawyers.