An Update on the Kinkade Estate Dispute

As I have previously discussed, the girlfriend of Thomas Kinkade has refused to leave the late artist’s mansion amidst the dispute about whether the two handwritten wills, which give Pinto control over the house, are valid. Now, Pinto believes that she is not safe at the mansion. Pinto’s lawyers claim that Pinto’s car and the cars of her friends have been vandalized. He also claims that someone has broken in the house and has left footprints in the attic and other evidence. These claims were brought forward at the hearing to determine what rent Pinto should stay to live in Kinkade’s house. 

The court rejected Pinto’s request to lower the rent to $8,500 and kept the rent at $11,000 per month. The judge’s primary reason for keeping the rent at $11,000 was her presence in the house. The judge argued that because Pinto refuses to leave the house, the estate needs extra security to secure that the assets and paintings in the house are protected before the matter can be settled by the court. The judge is now demanding that each party provide a list of the assets that each side claims to own.

See Julie Prodis Sulek, Thomas Kinkade’s Girlfriend to Pay $11,000 a Month to Stay in Artist’s Mansion, Mercury News, Sept. 17, 2012.

Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.