The contested 2023 will was drafted approximately eight months after Frank Fritz was placed under an emergency guardianship following a stroke in July 2022. Because a physician determined at the time that Fritz could not manage his affairs, his father argues the television star lacked the testamentary capacity to distribute his nearly $6 million estate. Friends named as beneficiaries, including Annette Oberlander Willows, counter that Fritz sufficiently recovered his mental faculties to express his genuine final wishes. An Iowa probate trial will now resolve the sealed dispute after multiple mediation sessions failed.
Key points
Bill Fritz seeks to claim the estimated $6 million estate as his son's sole surviving leg…: Bill Fritz seeks to claim the estimated $6 million estate as his son's sole surviving legal heir.
The biological father argues that prior judicial findings established Fritz lacked decisi…: The biological father argues that prior judicial findings established Fritz lacked decision-making capacity.
Beneficiaries named in the document argue that Fritz recovered sufficiently to validly ex…: Beneficiaries named in the document argue that Fritz recovered sufficiently to validly execute his will.
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More than two years after ‘American Pickers’ star Frank Fritz died at the age of 60, a bitter legal battle over his estate is heading to trial. The probate hearing is scheduled to begin on November 16 in Scott County, Iowa, with Fritz’s biological father, Bill, challenging a will that names some of the reality TV star’s close friends as beneficiaries.
The dispute has continued despite multiple mediation sessions, which failed to produce an agreement. Annette Oberlander Willows, one of Fritz’s close friends and a beneficiary named in the contested will, said the matter will now be left to the court unless the two sides reach a settlement before the trial.
“I’m feeling very confident about the trial,” Oberlander said, according to The Des Moines Register, declining to discuss the specifics of the case because of the ongoing legal proceedings. “I’m very confident that Frank’s last wishes will be upheld in the court of law.”
The value of Fritz’s estate has been estimated at nearly $6 million, although no official figure is available. An Iowa judge has sealed the probate…
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