Jimmy Buffett died three years ago and had his “ducks in a row” – or so he thought. Sadly, things have not gone as he anticipated or wanted. What a great example of having an estate plan, but having things literally not go to plan. This is why you need an experienced estate planning attorney to work with you, especially when selecting trustees, or in this case, co-trustees. Read on for how, now three years later, the conflict over the trust continues. This article, “Jimmy Buffett’s Oldest Daughter Claims Mom Tried to Disinherit Her as Siblings Share Other Concerns in $275M Trust Fight”, written by Sean Mandell was published by People online 3/13/2026.
“Buffett’s widow and longtime adviser are in a legal battle over control of his trust, with each seeking to remove the other from their role as co-trustee
NEED TO KNOW
- Jimmy Buffett’s widow and longtime adviser are in a legal battle over control of his $275 million trust, with each seeking to remove the other from their role as co-trustee
- Buffett’s oldest child, Savannah, wants the adviser to remain in his role and claims her mother threatened to disinherit her, her lawyer said in a Feb. 12 hearing
- Savannah’s siblings, Cameron and Delaney, are concerned about the liquidity and future viability of the trust’s asset
Jimmy Buffett’s three children have carved out different positions in the legal battle over the late singer’s $275 million trust.
During a Feb. 12 hearing in Palm Beach, Fla., attorneys for the siblings outlined their divergent views as Buffett’s widow, Jane Buffett, and his longtime adviser, Richard Mozenter, fight to remove one another as co-trustees.
In an answer and cross complaint, Jane has accused Mozenter of “wasting” the trust’s assets and withholding key financial information, while Mozenter has alleged in a complaint that Jane “has been completely uncooperative” and impaired the administration of the trust, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Buffett named Jane, his wife of 46 years, and Mozenter as co-trustees before his death in 2023.
As beneficiaries of the trust, Buffett’s three children Savannah, Cameron and Delaney have been drawn into the legal dispute.
Savannah, the eldest of Buffett’s three children, opposes her mother’s effort to remove Mozenter as co-trustee.
She “wants Jimmy’s wishes to be recognized and confirmed as it relates to his choice of Rick, who is not some Johnny-come-lately,” her attorney Jared Gelles said in a court hearing on Feb. 12, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
“Rick was entrenched in Jimmy’s world,” Gelles added.
He described Mozenter as “one of the Three Wise Men in Jimmy’s world,” someone with “longstanding and institutional knowledge.”
However, Gelles also emphasized that Savannah wants her mother to receive the financial support the “Margaritaville” singer intended for her. “I don’t want any of this to be heard that Savannah doesn’t want for Jane what Jimmy wanted for Jane from a financial standpoint. She does. She does very firmly,” he said, according to the document. “But she also wants Jimmy’s wishes to be honored,” he added, referring to Mozenter’s role as co-trustee.
Savannah also raised another concern that has surfaced amid the litigation: that her mother may attempt to disinherit her.
The issue emerged in filings last August, when attorneys for Mozenter presented screenshots of alleged text messages between Savannah and Jane in which Jane appeared to threaten to cut her out of the trust while comparing her behavior to that of her siblings.
“I would think, that my standing between you and 75 million would be a good reason to behave in the manner your two siblings do,’” Jane allegedly texted Savannah. “They don’t create problems for the trust.”
Jane also allegedly texted Savannah, “Say good bye to that 75mil” [sic].
During an Aug. 18, 2025 hearing, Jane’s counsel insisted that “Jane has never taken any actions to disinherit her children” and that “she has no intention to,” though the attorney acknowledged she would be “entitled” to do so under the terms of the trust.
At the Feb. 12 hearing, Savannah’s attorney addressed the alleged threats of disinheritance, telling the court, “[Jane’s attorneys have] said in open court, she’d never do that. We certainly hope that’s the truth for Savannah, or any of the other children.”
Savannah’s siblings, meanwhile, have raised a separate set of concerns. Though, like Savannah, Cameron and Delaney want their mother to receive the distributions their father intended for her, they are focused on the trust’s liquidity and the long-term preservation of its assets. The siblings have also retained separate counsel from Savannah.
“What my clients want to emphasize to the Court is that this is — despite the big numbers you hear — this is not a terribly liquid trust,” their attorney Peter Sachs said during the February hearing, according to the documents.
Cameron and Delaney are worried about the “sanctity” of the trust “so that there is money left to both support their mother and eventually, hopefully, get money down to the qualified beneficiaries, other than the mom,” Sachs said.
Sachs also said Cameron and Delaney are not aligning themselves with either side in the dispute.
“We don’t believe we’re team Rick or team Jane,” he told the court.
“But my clients certainly want to see their mother get what their father wanted their mother to have.”
“I don’t know whether that makes [them] team Jane,” Sachs added. “I don’t think so.”
Jane Buffett recently appealed a court order stemming from the Feb. 12 hearing that permits Mozenter to use trust assets to pay “reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs” in the ongoing litigation.
A family friend told PEOPLE in June 2025 that the trust drama was upsetting to the late musician’s inner circle.
“Jimmy would never have wanted Jane to be treated like this,” the friend said. “[I] know how close Jimmy and Jane were all these years, and how Jimmy relied upon and trusted Jane around so many of his important decisions in his life and career.”
So far, based solely on this article, the only clear winners are the attorneys representing each individual, at least four, maybe five. How much money will be spent on their fees before this is resolved? And clearly, this is not the outcome Jimmy wanted for his wife. Again, a reminder that decisions you make as you create your estate plan can yield different results. Careful consideration should be given to each and every decision, and an experienced estate planning attorney can help identify potential pitfalls. If your estate plan could use an update or you want to begin working on yours, now is a perfect time to do that. Please call me at 513-399-7526 or visit my website, www.davidlefton.com, for more information.
Source: People online, 3/13/26 written by Sean Mandell.