Judge Rules That Kinkade’s Girlfriend Must Pay Rent to Remain in the Deceased Artist’s home

The judge overseeing the complicated probate of Thomas Kinkade’s vast estate has ordered that Kinkade’s girlfriend, Amy Pinto, must pay $11,000 per month to reside at the late artist’s Monte Sereno mansion.  Pinto attempted to get the judge to lower the monthly rent down to $8,500 stating that the on-property security guard’s presence is intrusive.  The guard has been placed on the property by the estate to ensure that Pinto does not steal any of Kinkade’s possessions or paintings.  Pinto also asked that the pool be fixed, which is drained and locked up due to a leak.  The judge denied her requests.

As we have followed this story, we have seen just how convoluted this situation is and what a long and arduous estate battle this is going to be.  To provide a summary, Thomas Kinkade was married to his high school sweetheart, Nanette, for nearly 30 years.  They have raised four daughters together.  In 2010 they filed for divorce and, six months later, Kinkade began dating Pinto.  Another 6 months later, Pinto moved in with Kinkade.  The divorce was never finalized.

Kinkade died on April 6^th from an overdose of Valium and alcohol.  He had formerly created a living trust leaving all of his assets to his wife Nanette.  However, two handwritten wills (referred to as “holographic wills”) were uncovered and confirmed to be written in Kinkade’s handwriting.  However, these wills are nearly impossible to read and pose the question as to whether Kinkade was competent or under persuasion when writing the documents.  In the two different Wills, he gives most of his estate to Pinto – oddly not listing his daughters at all.

The probate court will reconvene on December 3^rd when the judge will receive a list from both Pinto and Nanette Kinkade listing the assets to which they feel they are entitled to.  From all we have seen of this situation, and from our knowledge of the probate process, this will be a multi-year probate that will likely cost millions of dollars in legal costs.

We will keep you updated as we hear more information on this befuddled probate situation.

To learn more about this case, read our prior articles:

The Battle Over Thomas Kinkade’s Estate – Two Wills and an Estate Plan in the Mix

Court Date Set to Address the Thomas Kinkade Estate

About Morris Hall:
At Morris Hall, we have focused our legal practice on estate planning for over 40 years.  Along with estate planning, our attorneys help clients and their families with matters of probate, trust administration, wills, power of attorneys, business planning, succession planning, legacy planning, charitable gifting and other important legal aspects.  We also have divisions in financial, real estate and accounting to help you incorporate all of your planning together, ensuring that everything works perfectly for your needs and situation. Our Arizona offices are located in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tucson, Prescott, Flagstaff and Arrowhead.    Contact us today at 888.222.1328 to schedule an appointment!

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