Leonard Cohen’s family launch new lawsuit over ‘swindling’ of fortune

Leonard Cohen’s children, Adam and Lorca Cohen, have filed a lawsuit accusing their late father’s former lawyer, Reeve Chudd, of malpractice and forgery. They claim Chudd altered trust documents to make Cohen’s manager, Robert Kory, the sole trustee of his estate after Cohen’s death in 2016.

The suit alleges that Chudd’s law firm, Ervin Cohen & Jessup (ECJ), enabled Kory to siphon $18.2 million from the estate between 2018 and 2023. These funds allegedly covered personal expenses, including rent, car costs, and a luxury trip to South Africa.

The Cohen family previously sued in 2022 to remove Kory as trustee and accused him of forgery in 2023. Kory, in turn, blamed Chudd, who admitted in a deposition to replacing a page in Cohen’s signed trust. The lawsuit seeks over $25 million in restitution for the alleged financial misconduct.

For more information see Susie Coen “Leonard Cohen’s family launch new lawsuit over ‘swindling’ of fortune” The Telegraph, February 17, 2025. 

Special thanks to Laura Galvan (Attorney, San Antonio, Texas) for bringing this article to my attention.