Anton Yelchin, who played Pavel Chekov in the reboot of the Star-Trek franchise, passed away earlier this year after a freak accident. Yelchin was apparently opening the gate to his home when his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled into him, fatally crushing him. Yelchin was only 27 and was a rising star in Hollywood.
And this should be no surprise to any of you who regularly pay attention to celebrity news, but he dies without a will. His parents, Victor and Irina Yelchin, filed documents with the Superior Court in LA to become administrators of his estate. According to the filings, he left behind $641,000 in personal property and $731,000 in equity in his home – a nearly $1.4 million estate. Given the fact that Yelchin was unmarried, had no children, and was survived by his parents, Victor and Irina will likely be the sole beneficiaries of his estate under the intestacy laws in California.
Yelchin’s parents have indicated that they will be suing Fiat Chrysler, manufacturer of the Jeep that killed him, for wrongful death on behalf of the estate.
Anton is just one of several million 20-somethings in the United States without a will.
Paul Yokabitus is the CEO and Managing Partner of Cary Estate Planning, a Cary, NC, estate planning law firm. With years of experience in estate and elder law, he has zealously represented clients in various legal matters, including estate planning, guardianship, Medicaid planning, estate administration, and other cases.
Paul received his Juris Doctor from the Campbell University School of Law and is a North Carolina Bar Association member. He has received numerous accolades for his work, including being named among the “Best Attorney in Cary” in 2016 and 2017 by Cary News and Rising Star in 2020-2023 by Super Lawyers.