Larry King Estate Battle: Shawn King Files $100M Lawsuit Against Former Business Managers

by Winston Cho

Shawn King and television personality Larry King. Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images

A battle for the estate of Larry King is getting messier. Shawn King, the broadcaster’s widow, is suing her former business managers, accusing them of stealing money and conspiring to help King’s son Larry King Jr. usurp her as executor of the estate.

King died in January 2021 after being hospitalized for COVID-19. A month later, Larry King Jr. moved to become special administrator of the estate. He pointed to a handwritten amendment by King leaving his assets to his five children. Shawn King challenged the will, arguing it was changed under questionable circumstances. The matter was resolved through a confidential settlement. 

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Shawn King alleges Blouin & Company colluded with Larry King Jr. to divest her from the estate in addition to illegally transferring millions of dollars to numerous people and entities without her permission. She seeks over $100 million for breach of fiduciary duty, professional negligence and fraud, among several other claims.

“The Blouin Defendants led a fraudulent and malicious conspiracy to steal money from their own client, Mrs. King, and deprive Mrs. King from her rights and interests in the estate of her late husband,” reads the complaint, adding that the firm shared confidential financial information with Larry King Jr. to aid him in his suit.

Shawn King takes issues with Blouin allegedly siding with Larry King Jr. in the fight for King’s estate. She says that the firm breached its fiduciary duty to her when client manager Bob Cinelli, a defendant in the suit, provided a sworn declaration in support of Larry King Jr.’s emergency petition to become administrator of the estate and by providing confidential financial information to him.

The suit claims that Blouin managed secret bank accounts to facilitate transfer of funds directed by Larry King Jr., who allegedly gifted money to several others. Those named in the complaint include Greg Christensen, a longtime former producer of one of King’s TV shows, and Becky Radant, King’s former assistant who allegedly helped Blouin keep financial information away from Shawn King. Radant was allegedly paid $50,000 and Christensen $40,000. They allegedly used the money to buy designer clothes, jewelry and furniture, among other things. 

In further violation of the firm’s fiduciary duties to her, Shawn King also says that Blouin neglected to pay recurring household bills and annual taxes for her, which has resulted in significant late fees and penalties. She claims the firm has refused to turn over financial records.

Blouin didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

King’s amendment to his will was written two months after he filed for divorce. It was never finalized, but Larry King Jr. argued that Shawn King shouldn’t be executor of the estate since she and King were actively involved in discussions to separate.

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Larry King Estate Battle: Shawn King Files $100M Lawsuit Against Former Business Managers

Larry King’s widow Shawn requests to be estate executor after late host’s ‘secret’ will cut her out

By Julius Young

Larry King’s widow, Shawn King, who was estranged from the television host, has requested to be the executor of his estate despite the fact he cut her out of his will before his death.

The 61-year-old performer filed legal documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday and in the paperwork obtained by Fox News, Shawn contested a "secret" handwritten will the late broadcasting legend had penned before his death in January at age 87.

The late host filed to divorce Shawn in August 2019 after 22 years of marriage but it was never finalized. (Greg Doherty/FilmMagic)

In the newly-surfaced will, which was dated October 17, 2019 and came to light after King had died, the venerable personality only mentioned his children and not Shawn – whom he had filed for divorce from in August 2019 after 22 years of marriage.

King indicated that he wished for his $2 million estate to be handed to his kids Andy, Chaia, Larry Jr., Chance and Cannon.

The new will was written prior to the untimely deaths of Andy and Chaia, who died last year within weeks of each other.

A court hearing is slated for May 4 and if approved, would grant Shawn an appointment "as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent," which was the case in King’s original will dated July 7, 2015.

She also said in February that King had many "outside influences" and that he may not have even been aware he was signing a new will.

Shawn revealed King died of sepsis and not the coronavirus as many had believed as King was diagnosed with the novel illness in the weeks leading up to his death.

Although the actress and King were in the middle of a divorce at the time of his passing, Shawn said King's mind "wasn't right" and his "body was going," noting it was a difficult thing to witness.

She confirmed the pair's divorce was "never finalized."

"In my heart, I didn't think it was really going to happen and it never did. We were partners in every sense of the way, in business, and in, well, first in our familiy and then in business. But we're a close family. You know, family is the most important thing, and God," she said.

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Larry King’s widow Shawn requests to be estate executor after late host’s ‘secret’ will cut her out

Larry King's Widow Challenges Legitimacy of Handwritten Will in Estate Battle

by Ashley Cullins

 

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Shawn Southwick King argues that the one-page document is likely invalid and, even if it isn't, it doesn't revoke King's July 2015 will that named her executor of his estate.

Larry King's widow is pushing back against an effort by his son to wrest control of the late journalist's estate based on a nearly illegible handwritten will.

Probate battles are usually messy, but here there are a few complicating factors: A divorce was pending between Larry and Shawn Southwick King and the talk show host didn't learn of Larry King Jr.'s existence until his son was an adult. Shawn also contends she recently discovered Larry had a "secret" bank account through which he gave more than $266,000 of joint money to Larry Jr. without her knowledge and she is entitled to declare those gifts void and demand it be returned.

Larry Jr. on Feb. 10 filed an ex parte application seeking to become the special administrator of his father's estate, arguing that because Shawn and his father were living apart, he should be in charge of making sure bills are paid and protecting the iconic newsman's publicity and likeness rights. In support of his argument, he submitted a holographic will that's dated two months after King filed for divorce in 2019.

Meanwhile, King's formal July 7, 2015 will names Shawn executor of his estate, and she maintains that Larry didn't really act like he wanted a divorce. They had gone to counseling after he filed for dissolution, he wasn't participating in the divorce proceedings and reconciliation was on the table until his health took a turn for the worse and it became "impractical."

While Larry Jr. argued that King's LK Productions and Larry King Enterprises had "stalled" without anyone to run them, Shawn says they're merely his loan outs and there's no ongoing business to speak of. Larry Jr. also points to unpaid bills (King's assistant and healthcare aids are owed pay, for example), but Shawn says there's no money in the probate estate to pay those, as it's all in joint bank accounts or the Larry and Shawn King 2015 Family Trust, which she controls. That trust also gives her control of King's "deceased personality rights."

In this context, "holographic" means handwritten. And in California there are very specific standards such a document has to meet to be deemed valid. If the handwriting is confirmed as the decedent's, and the document was executed later than any other will and is inconsistent with earlier provisions, the court will have to establish whether the person had the capacity to make such a change.

The one-page document is embedded below. It's dated Oct. 17, 2019 and says he wants 100 percent (which is written above something else that had been scratched out) of his funds to be divided equally among his five children (two of whom have since died) and that this will "should replace all previous writings."

Shawn argues that, even if the document is valid, it doesn't change much.

"The Holographic Will does not nominate an executor but simply purports to change the disposition of assets subject to Larry’s testamentary disposition," states her objection filing. "The Holographic Will states that 'It should replace all previous writings.' That statement is not sufficient to revoke the prior Will. At most, it demonstrates an intent to change the dispositive scheme, but not change the executor. Further, the Holographic Will violates the terms of two separate post-nuptial transmutation agreements entered into between Shawn and Larry and therefore has no legal effect whatsoever."

Further, Shawn argues "during the last few years of his life, Larry was highly susceptible to outside influences and at the time he purportedly executed the Holographic Will was of questionable mental capacity, having recently suffered a stroke and about to undergo a medical procedure (and possibly already under the influence of pre-operative medication)."

Shawn is asking the court to reject Larry Jr.'s petition to be appointed special administrator and deny admission of the holographic will. A hearing is currently set for Feb. 24.

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Larry King's Widow Challenges Legitimacy of Handwritten Will in Estate Battle