Campbell's Wife Moves to Protect Inheritance

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

In the midst of a court battle over the estate of famed singer Glen Campbell, his widow has moved to assure she can get at least 40 per cent of the late singer's behest.
In a filing Friday Kimberly Campbell asserted her right to invoke the provisions of a Tennessee law that guarantees a widow a set percentage of her late husband's estate in the event he died without a valid will.
The filing by Nashville attorney Paul Gontarek, who represents Kimberly Campbell, comes after three of Campbell's children have joined to challenge the validity of the will filed by Kimberly Campbell following his death on Aug. 8 of last year. That will specifically excludes the same three children from benefiting from his estate.
William T. Campbell, joined by Wesley K. Campbell Kelli G. Campbell, charged in a January filing that the 2008 will filed by Kimberly Campbell was invalid. The three were born during prior marriages.
Davidson Probate Judge David "Randy" Kennedy has yet to rule on the challenge and must first consider whether the three have legal standing to pursue their challenge.
"This election is being made in a protective manner in the event that the pending will contest is successful," the six-page filing states.
Under a provision in Tennessee probate law, the surviving spouse of a person who dies without a valid will gets 40 per cent of the estate if they were married nine or more years. Kimberly and Glen Campbell were married in 1982, some 34 years before his death.
In addition to the 40 percent share, Kimberly Campbell's motion seeks a year's support allowance in amount to be determined by the court.
The 2006 will names Kimberly as the executor and lists her and five Campbell children, Debra Cloy along with Dillon, Nicklaus, Shannon and Ashley Campbell as beneficiaries.
Though unofficial estimates have placed the value of the Campbell estate in the millions, a recent preliminary and partial estimate listed an estimated value of $420,221. That figure excluded future royalties from Campbell's songs.
Campbell died following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
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