The family of late ESPN host Stuart Scott has reached a deal to end a nasty battle over the money he left behind.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Stuart’s ex-wife Kimberely Scott and the co-trustees of the late broadcaster’s estate have informed the court they are dismissing all claims against the other.
The court battle was brought by Kimberely over an alleged $162,000 owed to her from Stuart’s retirement account. The legal battle was separate from the case filed by Stuart’s daughters against the co-trustees of this estate.
The parties informed the court they have reached a deal to end the case. Kimberely feared the legal bills stemming from the case were draining the money Stuart left behind.
Last year, Kimberely sued Disney and Fidelity Workplace Services accusing them of paying money owed to her to Stuart’s trust instead. She said a total of $162,899.04 owed to her was transferred to his trust.
Kimberely filed for divorce from Stuart in 2007. In their divorce settlement, Stuart was ordered to pay her $162,899.04 from his Disney Savings and Investment Plan 401k Account.
Stuart died on January 4, 2015 without having complied with the divorce settlement, which stated he was to transfer the $162,000 to his ex. Kimberely tried to collect on the money after his death but was told the money was paid to the trust.
As part of the legal battle, The Walt Disney Company filed a lawsuit against Scott’s estate and the broadcast’s ex-wife Kimberely Scott over the $162,000. Disney wanted the court to figure out who was owed the money.
Disney claimed at the time of his death Stuart listed his family trust as the beneficiary to his retirement and not Kimberely. They distributed his funds to his trust prior to receiving notice from Kimberely.
Recently, Kimberely asked the court to put the lawsuit on pause.
She said Stuart’s daughters were battling a separate lawsuit against the co-trustees of Stuart’s estate. In the lawsuit, they accuse the co-trustees of wasting their father’s money and not paying them money owed.
Kimberely told the court, “To date there has been four days of hearings, with a total of four lawyers, and another nine days are scheduled during November and December. The legal fees and liabilities/damages caused to the Beneficiaries Trust are close to wiping out all the Trust assets unless the parties are able to resolve the issues without further litigation.
The judge granted the motion allowing time to work out a settlement, which appears to have worked.
In the daughter’s lawsuit, Scott’s daughters, Taelor and Sydni Scott, sued Susan Scott and Charles Silver, the co-trustees of the Stuart O. Scott Family Trust.
Since his death, they claimed the co-trustees have failed to do their job on multiple occasions including failing to open an official estate or create an inventory of all his assets. They claim they have also charged significant fees and failed to profit off their father’s work like his book “Every Day I Fight: Making a Difference, Kicking Cancer’s Ass” or collect royalties for movies he appeared in.
The daughters claim the trustees failed to account for $800,000 in assets and instead one of the co-trustees took possession of the funds. They claim a check given to their mother by the trustees even bounced.
