Gift Tax Return Details Kept Private in Estate Battle

A legal battle over artwork is stirring between a co-executor of former Rolling Stones and Beatles band manager Allen Klein’s estate and Iris Keitel, who lived with Klein for about 30 years. Keitel wants to keep artwork that was previously in her and Klein’s shared home, and co-executor Leonard Leibman wants them back. In an attempt to prove the art was a gift, Keitel requested disclosure of Klein’s gift tax returns, but only received a redacted version.

In Matter of the Estate of Klein, Keitel’s motion for disclosure of the unredacted returns was denied, with New York Surrogate’s Court Judge Nora Anderson noting that they contain private information and do not have information relevant to Keitel’s claims.

See Joel Stashenko, Disclosures Limited in Estate of Rock Groups’ Manager, New York Law Journal, Dec. 29, 2014.

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