Siblings Fight Over Estate of Mother Whose Land Yielded a T. Rex Skeleton

The death of Darlene Williams in 2020 has sparked a legal battle among her children over the inheritance of her estate, valued at more than $8 million. The focal point of the dispute is the conflicting wills left by Ms. Williams, one from 2017 and another from 2020, just before her death. The 2020 will designate one of her daughters, Sandra Williams Luther, as the sole heir and executor, while another daughter, Jaqueline Schwartz, disputes its legitimacy. Schwartz argues that her mother, who was critically ill at the time, was susceptible to undue influence, raising questions about the validity of the will.

In addition to the will dispute, Schwartz filed a petition accusing Luther and another sibling, Carson Williams, of mismanaging their mother’s funds. Allegedly, Darlene Williams sold her home less than two weeks before her death, with the proceeds intended for her estate. Schwartz claims that Luther and Williams, in collaboration, converted and misappropriated the funds for their own enrichment. The lawyers for the siblings have yet to respond to requests for comment, and the exact amounts each sibling might gain from the estate remain unclear.

The underlying source of the family’s wealth is the fossilized skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex named Sue, discovered on the family’s South Dakota ranch in 1990. Sue is considered the most complete T. rex fossil ever found. She has been at the center of legal disputes since its discovery. The legal battle over Darlene Williams’s estate adds another chapter to Sue’s complex history. It highlights the contentious nature of inheritance issues within the family.

For more information see Lola Fadulu and Michael Levenson “Siblings Fight Over Estate of Mother Whose Land Yielded a T.Rex Skeleton”, The New York Times, December 3, 2023.

Special thanks to Lewis Saret (Attorney, Washington, D.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.