Kevorkian Artwork Divided In a Settlement

Jack Kevorkian died in June 2011 at the age of 83.  Before he was put in prison for assisting a suicide in 1999, he entrusted the paintings to the Armenian LIbrary and Museum.  Before his death, Kevorkian said he wanted the artwork returned to he niece, Ava Janus.  The paintings are valued at more than $2 million.  

The executor of Kevorkian’s estate, Mayer Morganroth filed suit last year seeking the return of 17 Kevorkian paintings that had been loaned to the museum.  The lawsuit was dismissed after the museum countersued in federal court, claiming that it owned the artwork.  Morganroth and the Museum were able to reach an agreement outside of court, so the Museum will keep four paintings and the other 13 will be returned to Kevorkian’s estate for the benefit of his niece.  

See Mike Martindale, Deal Reached on $2M in Kevorkian Artwork, The Detroit News, Oct. 5, 2012. 

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