Kinkade’s Girlfriend Still In His Monte Sereno Mansion

As I have previously discussed, the girlfriend and the wife of Thomas Kinkade are in a will dispute over two handwritten wills that his girlfriend claims are his real wills. Now, the girlfriend, Amy Pinto, is reportedly still living within Kinkade’s Monte Sereno Mansion and refuses to leave the mansion. In addition, she has refused to pay rent in the sum of $12,500 even though she has the assets to pay the amount. Daniel Casas, the lawyer for Kinkade’s Wife Nanette Kinkade, reported that Pinto received about $1 million from the later painter’s accounts in addition to the $7 million in assets she already owns. Judge Thomas Cain set a court date to resolve the dispute and has told Pinto to leave everything where it is until the dispute is resolved. 

Pinto’s story has remained the same in light of the pending will contest. Her lawyers have remained adamant that Pinto is only carrying out the wishes of the late Kinkade and that, at the very most, she is only asking for Thomas Kinkade’s share of the estate. She has argued that his wife and children will still retain their share of the estate. The two handwritten wills leave Pinto the Mansion, Kinkade’s Art Studio, and $10 million to establish a museum housing Kinkade’s art. Lawyers her for Kinkade’s wife has reported that this fight has been emotional for Ms. Kinkade especially with Pinto still living in his mansion. Meanwhile, according to MercuryNews.com, the “[l]awyers for the estate have refused to conduct any inventory of the originals, including what is said to be thousands of paintings stored in a Morgan Hill vault and perhaps less than 100 works in progress at the studio next to his home.”

See Julia Prodis Sulek, Thomas Kinkade’s Girlfriend ‘Holding Hostage’ the Artist’s Monte Sereno Mansion, Attorneys Allege, MercuryNews.com, Aug. 14, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.