• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.

Attorneys & Counselors

Call Now: (281) 759-3213

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS
LP Payment button
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Mission Statement
    • Multimedia
    • Published Books
    • The Academy Fellow Designation
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
      • Are You A Caregiver
      • Coping With Alzheimer’s
      • Guardianship & Conservatorship
      • Hospice Care
      • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Veteran’s Benefits
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
    • Client Testimonials
    • Representative Clients
    • Review Us
  • Resources
    • Areas We Serve
      • Baytown
      • Conroe
      • Galveston
      • Houston
      • Pasadena
      • Woodlands
      • West University Place
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Galveston Elder Law
      • Houston Elder Law
      • Sugar Land Elder Law
      • West University Place Elder Law
      • Woodlands Elder Law
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top Estate Planning Techniques
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Avoidance Tax Planning
      • Avoiding Probate
      • Business Succession Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Elder Law
      • Estate Planning
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • IRA and Retirement Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Living Trusts
      • Medicaid
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Nursing Home Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Power of Attorney
      • Probate
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trusts
      • Veterans Benefits
      • Wills
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Probate Resources
      • Houston Probate
      • Sugarland Probate
      • Woodlands Probate
      • West University Place Probate
    • Probate & Trust Administration Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Special Needs Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
Home » BLOG » Famous Estates-Champ or Chump?-Mickey Rooney

Famous Estates-Champ or Chump?-Mickey Rooney

June 28, 2019 by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

Mickey Rooney, Actor

Mickey Rooney’s Big Personality

Mickey Rooney was an American actor of film, television, Broadway, radio and vaudeville. His career stretched across nearly nine decades and included his part in more than 300 films. From birth to death, Rooney overcame the constant evolution of cinema. He was one of the few to make the jump from silent film to sound and certainly one of the last of his generation to end his career in acting. He was a man who transcended art styles, from Broadway to character acting. Rooney could sing, dance, clown and play various musical instruments. He became widely loved for it. Yet, while Rooney might have been an expert in acting, he came up short when it came to planning.

Mickey Rooney’s Big Problems

Rooney made catastrophic changes to his Will just a few short weeks before he passed away. These changes would spur great dissent amongst his family. In these modifications, Rooney disinherited all but one of his nine children as well as his estranged wife, Jan.  The Will instructed his lawyer to manage his estate rather than the family. One might falsely presume, due to Rooney’s long and successful career, the star was sitting on a large nest egg. However, the truth began to seep out when Rooney’s lawyer disclosed that his client was unable to afford a burial plot.

In truth, the estate Rooney had left to his stepson, Mark Rooney, had dwindled to a mere $18,000. His choice to give everything to Mark was later seen as more of thank you to his stepson for caring for Rooney in his old age rather than a snuff against his ex-wife and other children. Yet, the damage had already been done. Rooney’s estranged wife and many of the children contested the Will. Claims were made that there were misstatements in the Will and questions were raised of Rooney’s capacity to make changes at the time. It wasn’t until over a year later that Rooney’s last biological child dropped objections. What was likely meant as a last-minute kind attempt to pay back his step-son became a year of stress and financial burden for all of the family involved.

Champ or Chump?

Mickey Rooney spent a lifetime honing his skill as an actor. Yet, when it came to estate planning, he most certainly would not have made the casting call. We can’t be pros at everything we do and that’s ok. However, that does not excuse waiting until the last second to try and get your Last Will and Testament right. A much better option is to hire a lawyer early on to assist in the estate planning process. If you want to protect your wealth and legacy for the ones you love, contact The Mendel Law Firm, L.P. for a free consultation on estate planning, trust planning, and/or probate issues.

 

Sources:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001682/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
https://mynewsla.com/hollywood/2015/08/20/mickey-rooneys-children-drop-objections-will-moved-to-probate/
https://www.cnn.com/2014/05/08/showbiz/mickey-rooney-will/index.html
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Thought of the Day - March 22, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - March 15, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - March 8, 2023

Filed Under: General

Other Articles You May Find Useful

  • Thought of the Day
  • Avoiding Estate Planning Mistakes: A Guide for Newbies
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day

About Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.

Primary Sidebar

The Mendel Law Firm

Follow Us

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS

Blog Subscription

Subscribe to our blog to get all of the latest updates from our attorneys.

HOUSTON

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.
1155 Dairy Ashford, Suite 104
Houston 77079
United States (US)
Phone: (281) 759-3213
Fax: 281-759-3214

Map

map

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

The Mendel Law Firm

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an
attorney-client relationship.

© 2023 Mendel Law Firm, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys