Fred Thompson Estate Closed

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

The estate of actor/politician Fred Thompson has been officially closed and despite a public family feud few details of his assets, estimated in the millions, have become public.
The formal closing of the estate was approved in a three page order signed by Davidson Probate Judge David Randy Kennedy. In his order the Nashville, Tenn. judge waived any requirement for Jeri Thompson, the late senator's widow and executor of his estate, to file a detailed accounting of his estate.
Some details of the one time presidential candidate's assets were disclosed when a dispute arose over a bill submitted by the law firm that filed the original probate petition. Thompson died on Nov. 1, 2015.
The billing by the Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis disclosed that there was a last minute effort to marshal Thompson's assets and prepare an updated will. However, the will that was finally filed was over a decade old and did not include the couple's youngest two children.
That prompted the senator's two older sons by a previous marriage to charge that Thompson's assets might have been switched at a time when he was no longer capable of approving any changes.
Though Kennedy did order Jeri Thompson to disclose any last minute asset switches, any disclosures were never made public.
Jeri Thompson stated that the only change was an inconsequential switch in a secondary beneficiary on a life insurance policy.
The billings and the dispute with the two elder sons did offer some glimpses of the Thompson assets including a Florida condo.
The two elder sons dropped their claim and acknowledged receipt of the $50,000 each called for in the official will.
The Waller law firm's $14,550 claim was dropped under a settlement agreement never made public.
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