• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Zimmer Law Firm logo Zimmer Law Firm
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Communities We Serve
      • Butler County
        • Fairfield
        • Hamilton
        • West Chester
      • Clermont County
        • Milford
      • Hamilton County
        • Blue Ash
        • Cincinnati
        • Loveland
        • Montgomery
        • Sharonville
      • Warren County
        • Mason
    • Our Client Care Program
  • Services
    • Estate Planning
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA Inheritance Planning
    • Legacy Wealth Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Medicaid Planning and Elder Law
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Young Adult Protection Plan
  • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Fairfield
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Montgomery
      • Sharonville
      • West Chester
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate & Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Free Estate Planning Checklist
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning Definitions
      • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • FAQs
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Mason
      • Milford
      • Probate Checklist
      • Sharonville
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
      • West Chester
    • Presentations
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Zimmer Law Firm

Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys

513.721.1513
Request a Free Consultation
Request a Free Consultation

Google initial with star next to it

  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Communities We Serve
      • Butler County
        • Fairfield
        • Hamilton
        • West Chester
      • Clermont County
        • Milford
      • Hamilton County
        • Blue Ash
        • Cincinnati
        • Loveland
        • Montgomery
        • Sharonville
      • Warren County
        • Mason
    • Our Client Care Program
  • Services
    • Estate Planning
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA Inheritance Planning
    • Legacy Wealth Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Medicaid Planning and Elder Law
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Young Adult Protection Plan
  • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Fairfield
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Montgomery
      • Sharonville
      • West Chester
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate & Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Free Estate Planning Checklist
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning Definitions
      • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • FAQs
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Mason
      • Milford
      • Probate Checklist
      • Sharonville
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
      • West Chester
    • Presentations
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Home Our Blog Hemsley Estate Challenge Is Instructive

Hemsley Estate Challenge Is Instructive

By Barry Zimmer on June 24th, 2014 in Estate Planning

What Happens When Mr. Jefferson Dies on the East Side?

The actor Sherman Hemsley died last year, and he did in fact leave behind a last will. It left everything to his very close friend and confidant Flora Enchinton, and in the will he also named her as the executrix.

Sherman Hemsley did not have any children and he had never been married. According to Enchinton, who had known him for some 20 years, he never mentioned having any close family.

Because of all of the above you would think that the estate of Sherman Hemsley would have been administered rather simply. However, a man named Richard Thornton stepped  forward to complicate matters.

This individual challenged the Will, stating that he was Hemsley’s brother. Hemsley resided in El Paso, Texas, and the probate court judge in TX ordered DNA testing. The tests proved that Richard Thornton was indeed Hemsley’s half-brother.

As they say, that and a couple of dollars will get you a cup of coffee in El Paso. It does not entitle you to the estate of your half-brother

The court ruled in favor of Enchinton, and after a considerable delay Sherman Hemsley’s body was finally put to rest at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. We know him as an actor, but he was also a veteran of the Armed Forces.

This case is instructive because it demonstrates why you should definitely inform your attorney about every last detail when you are drawing up an estate plan. Will contests can and do happen, and if your attorney is not aware of all the facts he or she cannot take steps to mitigate the possibility of successful challenges.

 

 

Primary Sidebar

Request a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

What Our Clients Say

Some years ago, Barry Zimmer suggested we do a basic estate plan for our son when he went to college. We had no idea how important it would be! In our son's freshman year, he ended up in the hospital, and we were able to get crucial information about his condition because we had a health care ...

Read All Testimonials

Zimmer Law Firm

9825 Kenwood Road
Suite 201
Cincinnati, OH 45242

Copyright © 2025 Zimmer Law Firm
Disclaimer Privacy Policy

 

Make a Payment