Lucille Ball auction, This just doesn't seem right to me

[lucyanna girl]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100715...uX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA2hlaXJzc3Bhcm92ZQ--



Heirs spar over Lucille Ball auction in Calif.


LOS ANGELES – Heirs of the late Lucille Ball and her second husband are sparring over the planned auction of some of the couple's prized possessions, including a Rolls Royce and some of the actress' awards.

Other items on the auction block are photos, sketches, other personal items and love letters between Ball and Gary Morton, the comedienne's second husband.

Morton and Ball were married until the comedienne's death in 1989. He later remarried, and the items being offered for sale Saturday were consigned to Heritage Auction Galleries by his widow, Susie Morton.

She is now locked in a battle with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, the daughter of Ball and her first husband and "I Love Lucy" co-star, Desi Arnaz, who want some of the items and her mother's awards returned.

Susie Morton sued Luckinbill on Monday to seek a judge's ruling that the auction can proceed.

Luckinbill said Wednesday through her attorney, Ronald J. Palmieri, that if the items she requested are not returned, she will go to court Friday morning to try to stop the auction.

Luckinbill wants the return of seven love letters, Ball's address book, some portraits and several lifetime achievement awards being offered for sale, Palmieri said.

"It is clear these are personal effects earned by a lifetime of work by someone of great stature in the entertainment community," Palmieri said in a statement. "To demean their true nature, and prostitute their value in monetary terms, is insulting to Ms. Ball's memory and contravenes her express desire that these items were to belong to her daughter after her death."

Both Luckinbill and Susie Morton say Luckinbill was entitled to her mother's personal effects as part of the comedienne's estate planning. But Susie Morton's lawsuit contends Luckinbill abandoned the items when they were distributed after Ball's death.

A phone message left for Susie Morton's attorney was not immediately returned Wednesday.

Palmieri said the items would go to either a museum named after her mother and father in New York, or another museum where they could be shown.



I was a huge fan of Miss Ball. These items should be returned to her family.

Penny

 

[luvmy3]

Why did she not take possesion of those items after her Mother's death or in the 21 years since?

 

[focusondisney]

We just went to the Lucy-Desi museum. They could certainly use the additional items. Great concept; but not much there.

 

[horseshowmom]

Why did she not take possesion of those items after her Mother's death or in the 21 years since?

I was wondering about that too. Regardless, I think they should go to the daughter. Gary Morton's later wife shouldn't have control of them.

 

[EveDallas]

People never stop trying to cash in on a celeb - even years after death. These items need to be returned.

 

[EveDallas]

Why did she not take possesion of those items after her Mother's death or in the 21 years since?

She probably never thought that this woman would try to cash in on her mother's memory by selling her stuff years later.

 

[agnes!]

Why did she not take possesion of those items after her Mother's death or in the 21 years since?

You're assuming Lucie was able to...maybe Mr. Morton kept the items from his wife's daughter?

agnes!

 

[luvmy3]

I was wondering about that too. Regardless, I think they should go to the daughter. Gary Morton's later wife shouldn't have control of them.

If Ball wanted her dd to have these items after her death, and they were had such sentimental value to the dd why it would take her all that time to try to get them. I think she gave up her control when she decided not to in the last 21 years. I guess it really depends on if she had tried in the past and they (Morton and his wife) just wouldn't give them to her, but that wasn't mentioned (at least not yet).

 

[Keli]

I guess I'm thinking it is likely the daughter didn't know where the items were and probably didn't know some of them (portraits) existed. When someone dies it is VERY hard to keep track of everything they owned.
I think the daughter should get them back regardless unless the ex wife has proof that she informed the daughter of the items existence and the daughter said no thank you.

 

[Sparx]

How tacky. Those items are so personal (hand written letters for example) I'd starve before I sold something so personal to my family.

 

[Imzadi]

You're assuming Lucie was able to...maybe Mr. Morton kept the items from his wife's daughter?

Or maybe he just kept them. (No malice.) As surviving spouse, the items would automatically go to him, if Lucy hadn't written these items onto an itemized list in the will, that they would go to specific people.

Perhaps, back then the daughter & FIL got along so well, it was assumed he'd take good care of them. Or, the subject hadn't come up since he assumed possesion. (The new wife wasn't in the picture back then.) No one future thought to the possibility that he would remarry, die and those possessions, as part of his estate would naturally go to his surviving spouse, the hands of a complete stranger to Lucille Ball & her daughter.

Morally, the right thing to do would be to give the possessions to the daughter, or the museum. But, as possessions of Gary Morton's estate, no matter how he got them, they are probably, legally his surviving spouse's to do as she pleases.

 

[bumbershoot]

If Ball wanted her dd to have these items after her death, and they were had such sentimental value to the dd why it would take her all that time to try to get them.

Maybe she trusted her stepdad?


I trusted my stepdad with stuff until I found out he was marrying inside of 8 weeks from proposing, after maybe 3 dates with someone. Got right on the phone and had him ship it all out here. Might have trusted him, but didn't know or trust HER. What a bummer Ms Luckinbill didn't do the same.



But really, the lives of kids of celebrities are just so WEIRD, it's hard for any of us normal people to try to comprehend it all. I have a friend who is in that life, and the friend runs a group for other adult children of celebrities...they need support from each other b/c no one else knows what it's like (not even their parents), my friend has been in constant therapy since I met the person in college (I'm 40 now), their lives are just not the same as ours. So who knows what was going on...

 

[golfgal]

This is why in re-marriage situations you want to make sure you get a will drafted so you don't disinherit your children. This situation is all too common.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

We just went to the Lucy-Desi museum. They could certainly use the additional items. Great concept; but not much there.

I agree here
Some peoples greed can't see past what is right

 

[luvmy3]

Out of curiosity I looked up Morton. He and Ball were married in 1961 until she died in 1989. He also managed her career and was producer of one of her TV series. He married Susan in 1996, 7 years after Ball's death.
I don't know the relationship between the dd and Morton, but there was 7 years after her mother's death for her to make sure she had all the possessions that she wanted, and that her mother wanted her to have. He died in 1999. I just don't understand what the dd was thinking would happen to those things. Also seeing how he was married to Ball for so long and was a part of her career, he probably felt the same sentimental value of those items and would have wanted to keep them even after his second marriage. He should have been specific in his will where or who those things should have gone, but since he didn't they were left to his wife at the time of his death. I don't blame Ball's dd for wanting these items, I'm just surprised that it took her this long to pursue them in this way.

 

[happygirl]

Out of curiosity I looked up Morton. He and Ball were married in 1961 until she died in 1989. He also managed her career and was producer of one of her TV series. He married Susan in 1996, 7 years after Ball's death.
I don't know the relationship between the dd and Morton, but there was 7 years after her mother's death for her to make sure she had all the possessions that she wanted, and that her mother wanted her to have. He died in 1999. I just don't understand what the dd was thinking would happen to those things. Also seeing how he was married to Ball for so long and was a part of her career, he probably felt the same sentimental value of those items and would have wanted to keep them even after his second marriage. He should have been specific in his will where or who those things should have gone, but since he didn't they were left to his wife at the time of his death. I don't blame Ball's dd for wanting these items, I'm just surprised that it took her this long to pursue them in this way.

I feel like her personal items should go to her kids, instead of a auction.

 

[luvmy3]

I feel like her personal items should go to her kids, instead of a auction.

I agree however if they weren't left specifically to them, the second wife can do what she pleases with them.

 

[sjs314]

I agree however if they weren't left specifically to them, the second wife can do what she pleases with them.

Legally the second wife is within her rights, but morally I think she is wrong in auctioning off the items when a direct decendent has expressed she wishes that the items to be returned to her.

 

[agnes!]

I feel like her personal items should go to her kids, instead of a auction.

Legally the second wife is within her rights, but morally I think she is wrong in auctioning off the items when a direct decendent has expressed she wishes that the items to be returned to her.

I agree.

agnes!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I don't know the relationship between the dd and Morton, but there was 7 years after her mother's death for her to make sure she had all the possessions that she wanted, and that her mother wanted her to have. He died in 1999. I just don't understand what the dd was thinking would happen to those things

Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill likely expected that, in the case of any sale or auction, these items that should have either naturally or reasonably gone to her would have been offered/given to her by Susie Morton before any items were placed for sale or auction.

And what about Desi Junior?