HotmailAfter 15 years, will on Kerouac estate ruled fake
Document that left author’s assets to his third wife is declared a forgery
 Hulton Archive / Getty Images file The "On the Road" author's manuscripts, letters and personal belongings were left to Jack Kerouac's third wife, Stella Sampas Kerouac. |
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CLEARWATER, Florida - A lengthy dispute over the estate of Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac has ended with a Florida judge ruling that his mother's will was fraudulent.
Gabrielle Kerouac left all of her son's assets to his third wife, Stella Sampas Kerouac, when she died in 1973. Ever since, the Sampas family has had control of the "On the Road" author's manuscripts, letters and personal belongings.
But Jack Kerouac's daughter and nephew believed the will was fake. They filed a lawsuit that has dragged on in Pinellas County for the last 15 years. On Friday, a judge finally ruled that the will was a forgery.
Bill Wagner, an attorney for Kerouac's nephew, says its unclear what action his client will take next.
Previous reports have placed the estate's value at $20 million.
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