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New Crop of Legal Developments In Music Celebrity Estate Battles

By Stan Soocher
June 30, 2025

Legal disputes over artist’s estates have been a growing source of entertainment-industry litigation. This summer is proving to be a busy season for such litigations, with legal dustups related to the music-celebrity estates of “Margaritaville” icon Jimmy Buffett, Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen and blues legend Johnny Winter.

In a financial and personal dispute. the Buffett estate battle pits Jimmy’s widow Jane against his long-time business manager and financial advisor Rick Mozenter, managing director of the accounting firm Gelfand, Rennert and Feldman in Los Angeles. Jane and Mozenter are co-trustees of the James W. Buffett 1990 Trust, last amended by Jimmy in July 2023, and of the James W. Buffett Marital Trust, which named Jane as the beneficiary and took effect after Jimmy passed away in September 2023.

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