GARY COLEMAN’S PROBATE DRAMA 2 Wills, Hand-Written Codicil Spark Legal War
Gary Coleman’s death at age 42 in 2010 led to one of the most convoluted probate battles in celebrity estate history. Although he left only modest assets, the fight over his will and remains spiraled into a legal saga filled with dramatic courtroom testimony and personal revelations. Coleman had signed multiple wills: a 1999 document naming a former manager as his executor and a 2005 will naming his longtime assistant and friend, Anna Gray, as executor and sole beneficiary. Even though he divorced Shannon Price in 2008, Coleman had allegedly added a handwritten codicil in 2007, leaving everything to her. Price asserted they continued living together as husband and wife, despite the divorce, claiming a common‑law marriage under Utah law. This twist turned a probate hearing into a character trial. Price’s legal team presented witnesses (bank officers, Coleman’s agent, and relatives) who testified that the couple filed joint taxes, shared bank accounts, and called each other husband and wife. But
questioned whether Price had established a public reputation as a wife, a key requirement for common‑law recognition in Utah. In May 2012, after three days of explosive testimony, Judge James Taylor ruled that Price failed to show a recognized common‑law marriage with Coleman at the time of his death. This meant that the 2005 will naming Anna Gray as executor and beneficiary stood as the controlling document. So, what did Coleman actually leave behind? His estate amounted to little more than his home ($315,000), royalty payments, and possessions. The real value lay in deciding who controlled Coleman’s name, ashes, and remaining intellectual property. Adding to court records, Shannon Price was the person who authorized turning off Coleman’s life support when he fell and suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2010. Whether that gave her moral or legal standing remained hotly debated, but in probate court, she lost.
And in the end, the probate judge settled the matter: Anna Gray inherited what remained of Coleman’s
Anna Gray’s side countered with a strong testimony. The judge
estate, his ashes, and control over the disposition of his name and legacy.
Slow Cooker Brisket
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Ingredients
Inspired by ThePioneerWoman.com
• 1 (1-oz) envelope onion soup mix • 1 tbsp brown sugar • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces • 1 lb baby golden potatoes • 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 large sweet onion, cut into 8 wedges • 2 1/2 cups beef stock • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce • 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper • 1 3-lb piece of beef brisket (flat cut)
• 8 fresh thyme sprigs • 8 whole garlic cloves • 2 bay leaves
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine soup mix, sugar, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over brisket. 2. Place meat, fat cap side down, into an 8-qt slow cooker. 3. Top brisket with thyme, garlic, bay leaves, carrots, potatoes, celery, and onion. 4. Whisk stock, Worcestershire sauce, and cornstarch until fully dissolved. Add to slow cooker. 5. Cover and cook on high for 5–6 hours until tender. 6. Remove to a cutting board, fat side up. Remove thyme and bay leaves. 7. Thinly slice brisket against the grain. 8. Serve with vegetables, drizzled with gravy from the slow cooker.
TITUS 2:7-8
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