Summary
- Robin Williams’ widow and children disputed his will and trust after his death.
- The conflict centered around the distribution of personal belongings and living expenses for Schneider Williams.
- The dispute was resolved in 2015, with Schneider Williams retaining some sentimental items and the children receiving the majority of possessions.
As the world mourned Robin Williams‘ passing, tension surrounding his will and trust arose between his widow and three children. In 2014, the beloved comedian died by suicide after a private battle with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), which had been misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s Disease – his autopsy showed the presence of Lewy bodies, the hallmark indicator of LBD. Leading up to the time of his untimely death, and as a result of his illness, Williams suffered from anxiety, insomnia, and hallucinations and had trouble walking.
When news of Williams’ death broke in August 2014, it sent shockwaves through the world as Williams, who was known for his infectious humor, seemed an unlikely candidate for such tragedy. For those closest to him, grief was exacerbated by a legal process over his will. As part of Williams’ will, the actor’s third wife, Susan Schneider Williams, was allowed to remain in the couple’s Tiburon home. However, as the property remained part of his $100 million estate, destined to his children, Zak, Zelda, and Cody, she did not own any of it. Schneider Williams was also entitled to the majority of the personal property in the home, and Williams had established a fund, with the help of his lawyer and accountant, to cover his widow’s living expenses.
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Williams’ children would receive a home owned by the Good Will Hunting actor in Napa Valley and the personal possessions housed within it. The will and trust prioritized Williams’ children regarding his possessions, granting them his “clothing, jewelry and personal photos taken prior to his marriage to Susan” and “memorabilia and awards from the entertainment industry.”
Robin Williams’ Widow Fights for Memories
Schneider Williams challenged the will, filing a legal petition in December 2014, with two primary issues fuelling the dispute. Firstly, she argued that the designated funds for maintaining their Tiburon home were insufficient to cover her living expenses. Secondly, the will’s use of terms like “memorabilia” and “collectibles” caused ambiguity regarding personal belongings. In an interview with E! News, Schneider claimed that, at one point, she was uncertain if she’d even be able to keep her and Williams’ wedding gifts. She told the publication she had felt “forced” to take the matter to court:
“And when I say that, here’s what happened: two and a half weeks after Robin had left, I was still in shock. And not back in our home. After being in the trenches with my husband for so long and trying to solve this thing, after seven years together in love, I was told that I might not be able to be able to keep our wedding gifts. In fact, [they said], ‘While you’re out of the house, we need to come in and take everything out. Eventually once we’ve gone through it all, you can decide – tell us which items are yours. And we’ll decide whether or not that’s true.'”
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The dispute over the estate was resolved in September 2015, with both Schneider Williams and Williams’ children agreeing to undisclosed terms. While full details have never been publicly shared, Schneider Williams’ attorneys shared (via Rolling Stone) she would be “able to keep the few emotional items she requested, such as their wedding gifts, selected clothing items, a watch Robin often wore, plus the bike she and her husband bought together on their honeymoon.” Williams’ kids, they shared, would receive the majority of the items they “demanded,” including “more than 50 bikes and over 85 watches, as well as thousands of never-disputed items like Robin Williams’s Academy Award statue.”
In a statement following the resolutions, Schneider Williams shared:
“I feel like Robin’s voice has been heard and I can finally grieve in the home we shared together. While it was painful to have truckloads of his belongings removed from our home—it’s the few sentimental items I get to hold onto that means everything to me.”
In 2020, Williams Schneider participated in the documentary Robin’s Wish after pitching a film about Lewy Body Dementia.
The current nature of Schneider Williams’ relationship with the Williams children remains unknown.
