Celebrity deaths serve as a reminder of estate planning principles that may apply to everyone. The circumstances of the Hackman-Arakawa deaths were unusual, but simultaneous deaths are fairly common, such as car accidents, house fires, and natural disasters. Life is unpredictable. Estate plans must account for contingencies, including the possibility of simultaneous deaths. Survivorship clauses…

Simultaneous death laws were created to resolve uncertainties when people die close in time to each other. Before such laws, the lack of evidence about who died first could lead to legal battles and inconsistent outcomes. Courts made presumptions based on factors such as age or health that were arbitrary and unreliable, and assets could…

Investigators found legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Machiko Arakawa, dead under mysterious circumstances. Indications are that Hackman passed about a week after Arakawa. The timing of their deaths matters due to the simultaneous death rule. This rule can impact inheritances when spouses die close in time to each other and their plans…