Admittedly, back in the day, I enjoyed watching the wildly popular television series Beverly Hills 90210. In particular, Shannon Doherty’s character, Brenda Walsh, generated much intrigue in her on-again, off-again romance with Dylan McKay. Sadly, on July 13th this year, Shannon Doherty passed away at age 53 from cancer. Ms. Doherty, a resident of California, admirably managed to sign the pleadings to finalize her well-litigated divorce from Kurt Iswarienko on July 12th, the day before her death. Iswarienko signed the documents on July 13th. Although it would have been “standard [upon Doherty’s death] to dismiss the [dissolution] action and proceed with a probate of the estate of the spouse who died,” instead, a judge granted the divorce posthumously on July 15th.
A prior blog post on our website explains that “[u]nder Washington law, any Will provision made ‘in favor of’ a former spouse is automatically revoked upon dissolution or termination of the marriage, unless the divorce decree provides otherwise. The law treats the former spouse as if they had predeceased the spouse who made the Will.”
Doherty undoubtedly did not have time to update her estate planning documents in the brief period between signing the final dissolution pleadings and her passing. Hopefully, Doherty completed California’s equivalent to a “bridge will” during the dissolution process to help transition her estate administration. Regardless of whether Doherty completed a bridge will, the administration of Doherty’s estate will undoubtedly be dramatically easier for her family since the financial disputes with Iswarienko have been resolved. The dissolution clarified what constituted Doherty’s property to be administered.
If you are going through a divorce or have recently finalized a divorce, addressing your estate planning is a critical part of this transition. If you need assistance, we’ll be happy to help.
Phone: (206) 784-5305
