Jimmy Buffett’s Estate: Net Worth, the $275M Trust, and the Lawsuit (2026)
Yes. Jimmy Buffett died on September 1, 2023, at 76. CNBC reported that his will, first written more than 30 years earlier and amended in 2017 and 2023, sent most of his assets into a marital trust for his wife, Jane Slagsvol, with their three children as remainder beneficiaries. Court filings put the estate at $275 million. Jane and her co-trustee, Richard Mozenter, have each asked courts to remove the other. As of October 7, 2026, no court has finally resolved it, and a trial is set for January 2027.
Both sides have made accusations. They’re allegations, and I attribute each one to the person making them. I checked everything below on October 7, 2026.
The plan gives Jane a lifetime trust and names a co-trustee to serve with her
A co-trustee can protect a surviving spouse from a bad decision. It can also put an outsider between your spouse and the money. CNBC reported that Buffett’s will was first written more than 30 years ago, was amended in 2017 and again in 2023, and directed most of his assets into a marital trust for Jane.
If you name a co-trustee to serve with your spouse, that’s the second layer of Buffett’s plan. CNBC, citing legal filings, said the marital trust was created for Jane’s sole benefit during her lifetime, and Buffett also named a co-trustee to serve with her. Assets outside the trust don’t follow it. Trust funding explains the retitling.
The people you name matter as much as the titles, because a business manager and your spouse can see the role differently. CNBC reported that Buffett chose Richard Mozenter, an accountant who had been his business manager and financial adviser for about 30 years, to serve as co-trustee alongside Jane. The AP reported that Mozenter, in his lawsuit, claimed Buffett set up the trust with an independent trustee because he was concerned about his wife’s ability to manage and control his assets. Jane’s Florida complaint says her relationship with Mozenter is “untenable.”
The children inherit only what is left after Jane’s death. Trust lawyers call them remainder beneficiaries, and Buffett’s children are Savannah, Delaney and Cameron, CNBC reported.
Why the filings say $275 million when Forbes says over a billion
The $275 million and the billion-dollar figure count different things: Forbes estimates a person’s total wealth, and the court filings list the specific assets in the estate. CBS News reported that, according to Forbes, Buffett’s net worth was over a billion dollars. The court filings describe something smaller: a $275 million estate.
Court filings itemize the estate that the plan sends mostly into Jane’s marital trust. CNBC, citing those filings, reported $34.5 million in real property, $15 million of equity in a company that held his planes, $2 million in musical equipment, $5 million in vehicles, $12 million in other investments, and an $85 million stake in Margaritaville held through a company called JB Beta. I haven’t seen a filing that explains the full gap between the Forbes estimate and the estate figure. Under the plan, most of that $275 million sits in the marital trust for Jane’s lifetime, and the children receive what remains after her death.
The two trustees have each asked a court to remove the other
The fight is over who controls the marital trust, and each co-trustee has asked a court to remove the other. The AP reported that Mozenter filed a petition on June 2, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Florida, asking to remove Jane as co-trustee, and that Jane’s complaint followed on June 3 in Los Angeles Superior Court, asking to remove him.
Each allegation below belongs to the person making it. CNBC reported Jane’s allegations: that Mozenter was “openly hostile and adversarial,” wouldn’t give her details on the trust’s finances, charged “excessive fees” of $1.7 million a year, and mismanaged assets, projecting income of only $2 million. Mozenter alleges that Jane has been “completely uncooperative,” interfered in business decisions and acted in her own interest, CNBC reported.
Fees paid out of the trust come from the money set aside for the family. The AP reported that Jane asked the West Palm Beach judge to stop Mozenter’s removal effort and to remove him instead, and moved her claims from California to Florida. Her lawyer said litigating in two courts would drain the trust money Jimmy set aside for her care. See how to contest a trust in California, the deadline to contest, and the no-contest clause.
No court has finally resolved the dispute. NBC Palm Springs reported on September 15, 2026, that the competing actions are headed for a non-jury trial in January 2027, and that the allegations haven’t been resolved by a final trial judgment. I haven’t found a final ruling on the merits.
Settling removal, information and the choice of trustee before a fight starts
Decide in the plan how a co-trustee can be removed. If the trust is silent, a beneficiary may have to go to court. One of the lawyers CNBC interviewed suggested a removal right would have let Jane replace Mozenter more easily. See how to remove a trustee in California.
Keith Davidson of Albertson and Davidson, one of several attorneys CNBC quoted, said these cases usually turn on the same issue: a beneficiary who feels uninformed and without a say, and a trustee who is too paternalistic. The lawyers CNBC interviewed said families should explain the plan before death, so that nobody is surprised, and that a friend or business associate doesn’t always make a good trustee. Information fights are common, and successor trustee duties explains what a trustee owes beneficiaries. The attorneys’ points are general lessons and none of them is a finding about this case.
Another lawyer said a judge might appoint a professional fiduciary to replace both. These suggestions are opinions about what might happen, and no court has done that.
Jimmy Buffett’s case is one of several on this site. For the broader picture, see celebrity estates, and for two other cases, the Elvis Presley estate and the Robin Williams estate.
Frequently asked questions
Did Jimmy Buffett have a will?
Yes. CNBC reported that his will was first written more than 30 years ago and amended in 2017 and again in 2023, and that it directed most of his assets into a marital trust for Jane.
Who inherits Jimmy Buffett’s estate?
During her life, Jane. After her death, whatever is left goes to their three children, Savannah, Delaney and Cameron, CNBC reported.
What was Jimmy Buffett’s net worth when he died?
CBS News reported that, according to Forbes, Buffett’s net worth was over a billion dollars. The court filings describe something smaller: a $275 million estate.
What is the lawsuit over Jimmy Buffett’s trust?
It’s a fight over who controls the marital trust. Each co-trustee has asked a court to remove the other.
What do estate lawyers say went wrong?
CNBC quoted several attorneys, and their points are general lessons, not findings about this case. Keith Davidson of Albertson and Davidson said these cases usually turn on the same issue: a beneficiary who feels uninformed and without a say, and a trustee who is too paternalistic.
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