Jerry Orbach, star of the popular legal drama “Law & Order,” passed away a decade ago, but his estate is still part of an ongoing battle. According to papers filed in New York, Orbach’s former accountant is allegedly refusing to hand over control over a bank account at Chase that belongs to Mingoya Productions, a company owned by Orbach. The accountant was added to the account in 2003 as a signatory.
According to reports, the former accountant was removed as executor of Orbach’s late second wife’s estate. Orbach’s wife acted on Broadway and died in 2009, just five years after the actor succumbed to cancer. The new executor is apparently Orbach’s wife’s sister, but when the sister contacted Chase to have her predecessor’s access to the bank account removed, things didn’t go according to plan.
The former executor has allegedly refused to respond to correspondence and phone calls form the bank. Because of this, the new executor has been denied access to the account because Chase is reportedly afraid of being involved in future litigation for giving the money to the wrong person. Chase is now asking the court to determine who has the legal right to access the account.
It is not believed that the former executor has taken any of the funds from the account, but the problem with who should have access to the account and the information regarding the balance remains. In cases involving trustees, executors and fiduciaries, where who has rightful ownership of assets is unclear, the court may have to step in and make a decision based on the documentation and testimony provided by the involved parties.
Source: New York Post, “Fight over late actor Jerry Orbach’s account” Julia Marsh, Mar. 29, 2014
