The Glasser Case — A Federal Court Speaks

Earlier on this blog, here, here, here, and here, I have been reporting on the case of Lillian Glasser and the battle to control her and her $25 million fortune.

Here is an excerpt from John MacCormack, Rich N.J. woman’s offspring are scolded, San Antonio Express-News, Dec. 29, 2005, which explains the actions taken yesterday (December 28, 2005) in this case by a United States District Court:

In a sharply worded order that spanks the squabbling children of Lillian Glasser, * * * U.S. District Judge Fred Biery took over a chunk of the complex case Wednesday. * * *

Calling the dispute a “legal fratricide” between sibling rivals that has consumed millions of dollars in attorneys’ fees, Biery’s order said “the end result … is the creation of a Glasser chess game in which Mrs. Glasser has become a pawn.”

His ruling sends parts of the case back to Bexar County Probate Court where a trial will be held over who should become the guardian of Glasser and her $25 million estate. But because the principal parties come from three states, Biery kept control over other issues.

They include Texas’s jurisdiction over Glasser’s son, Mark Glasser, various actions of her daughter, Suzanne Mathews — including her activation of a power of attorney that allowed her to assume control of her mother’s wealth — and the competency of Lillian Glasser to execute her current will and the power of attorney