What Can We Learn from Jerry Springer? Understanding Estate Planning Lessons

What Can We Learn from Jerry Springer?

The Internet was duped by a Jerry Springer will-reading video which made it look like Springer fathered two secret children and then left them his entire estate. Feeling like a plot ripped from a particularly scandalous episode of his show, after Springer’s passing in April of 2023, a video circulating online appeared to lift the lid on his big family secrets. Spoiler alert, the video was a scene from a play, and everyone involved in the video was an actor. Jerry really left his estate to his only daughter most likely through a well-drafted trust agreement.

So, what can we learn from this viral testamentary video?

Florida Law and Estate Planning

We can discuss how Florida views videos as part of the estate plan. Under Florida law, a person cannot use a video as the instructional means by which property is to be transferred after their passing. A Florida court will invalidate (or not recognize) the video as a will, since a Florida will must be in writing.

If only a video exists, the decedent who made the video will be deemed to have died “intestate” unless another validly written will had been previously properly executed and not revoked. Without another previously executed and valid will, the decedent’s property will be transferred in accordance with Florida intestate law, according to the statutes.

The Role of Video in Estate Planning

With that said, a video may be helpful to assist the written last will in providing context. The video may be used as evidence of capacity for execution or proof of intentions, but it does not replace the properly written word.

So, there you have it, we learn that not everything on the internet is real and that a video will not work in Florida.

Legal Requirements for Wills in Florida

Fla. Stat. § 732.502 (1)(a)(2) thought of that for you and the Testator’s name can be subscribed at the end of the will by some other person in the Testator’s presence and by the Testator’s direction. If someone can’t sign their name, they can instruct someone else to sign it for them.

Fla. Stat. § 732.502 requires two witnesses to sign the last will in the presence of the Testator and each other. Like one, big party! Any adult who is competent to serve as a witness may witness the signing of a Will. However, it’s bad form to have the Testator’s family member or a beneficiary named in the last will act as a witness.

Conclusion

It’s over before I even realized it. Summer is coming to an end. While we wait for cooler weather to happen and remain highly concerned about our roof with all this rain, we’re still focused on all of the estate plans, probates real estate closings and contracts out there.

The roofer says the permits will be ready any day now so we’re back to our gossipy newsletter with legal-lesson sprinklings.