• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sinclair Prosser Gasior

Estate Planning Attorneys - Annapolis, Maryland

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Call Now: (410) 573-4818

Attend a Free Workshop Trustee School

  • Home
  • About Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Meet Our Team
  • Services
    • Annapolis, MD Asset Protection and Business Planning
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Annapolis, MD Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Annapolis, MD Trust Administration & Probate
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Annapolis, MD Incapacity Planning
    • Annapolis, MD LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Annapolis, MD Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Annapolis, MD Special Needs Planning
    • Estate Planning for Young Families
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Estate Planning Definitions
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Estate Planning
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicaid
      • Power of Attorney
      • Trust Administration & Probate
    • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
    • Probate Resources
    • Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Trust Administration
      • Estate Planning for Niches
    • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • Newsletters
  • COMMUNITIES WE SERVE
    • Anne Arundel County
      • Annapolis
      • Crownsville
      • Davidsonville
      • Highland Beach
      • Millersville
    • Baltimore County
    • Calvert County
      • Dunkirk
      • Huntingtown
      • Owings
    • Charles County
      • Charlotte Hall
      • Waldorf
    • Howard County
    • Prince George County
      • Bowie
      • Fort Washington
      • Glenn Dale
    • Queen Anne’s County
      • Grasonville
      • Queenstown
      • Stevensville
    • St. Mary’s County
      • Charlotte Hall
      • Leonardtown
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • BLOG
  • Contact Us
  • Make A Payment
  • Client Portal
Home / General / The Legal Battle over DMX’s Estate

The Legal Battle over DMX’s Estate

October 19, 2021 by Jon J. Gasior, Estate Planning Attorney

Legendary rapper Earl Simmons, known as DMX rose to fame in the 1990s and 2000s. His career as an artist was wildly successful with several albums debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and three nominations for Grammy awards. However, his personal life was riddled with legal battles including tax liens and jail time. On April 9th, 2021, it was reported that Earl Simmons passed away at 50 years old.

At the time of his death, it was estimated that DMX was worth negative one million dollars. He was unmarried at the time of his death and had 14 children. He also died without a will. Recently, the mother to his youngest child filed to be acknowledged as his common law wife which would give her immediate priority of his estate. The judge in the case denied her request and now the family will be engaged in a battle to determine who will be the executor, as well as the rightful distribution of his assets.

You may be thinking, why does any of that matter when he died a million dollars in debt? In DMX’s case the real issue is the rights to his music. Although he had his own legal trouble and was unable to maintain any wealth that he accumulated, there is still value in his intellectual property. The future earnings of his music has upwards of 15 people fighting over who is in charge and who will possibly inherit, even from an estate with such a large amount of debt.

The battle over DMX’s estate is sad and unfortunate. His lack of planning is a powerful lesson for many underscoring the true need for estate planning. Whether someone is arguing over rights to music or pots and pans in the kitchen, unfortunately death brings out grief which manifests itself in different ways.

I tell clients that no matter the value of someone’s estate, anyone over the age of 18 needs some form of an estate plan. Whether an estate is valued at millions of dollars or negative one million dollars, every adult should decide who is in charge to make financial and health care decisions during periods of incapacity, and who is in charge at their death to settle the estate.

I hope that the DMX situation can resolve itself, but all too often battles like this can last years in the legal system and cost thousands and thousands of dollars. It is my goal as an estate planning attorney to help my clients avoid situations like these.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Jon J. Gasior, Estate Planning Attorney
His personal experience with family and the problems that resulted from their failure to create an estate plan resulted in his desire to learn more about this area of the law. From his work in the Elder Law Clinic, he further realized the need to plan not only for death, but also for incapacity during their lifetime.
Latest posts by Jon J. Gasior, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Do I Need To Update My Estate Plan? - April 5, 2022
  • Using Life Insurance to Provide Liquidity in an Estate - March 10, 2022
  • What is the Most Important Estate Planning Document? - February 10, 2022

Filed Under: General

Other Articles You May Find Useful

two people in court room
Is Formal Probate Required?
Why Does Probate Take So Long?
Do I Need To Update My Estate Plan?
Using Life Insurance to Provide Liquidity in an Estate
What is the Most Important Estate Planning Document?
The Advantages of Portability

About Jon J. Gasior, Estate Planning Attorney

His personal experience with family and the problems that resulted from their failure to create an estate plan resulted in his desire to learn more about this area of the law. From his work in the Elder Law Clinic, he further realized the need to plan not only for death, but also for incapacity during their lifetime.

Primary Sidebar

Download our free estate planning worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Testimonials

5 Stars
Client Review
September 3, 2020
    

We initiated estate planning following a presentation by Sinclair Prosser Attorney Jon Gasior. We were so impressed, we contracted with them to complete our estate planning. Subsequently, we assembled information on our assets and Sinclair Prosser Gasior did the rest. Correspondence was communicated to our financial institutions and the estate was established. We were very pleased with the courteous manner of the Sinclair Prosser Gasior staff. However, it was their professionalism that made us satisfied we chose this firm to handle our estate. We have nothing but praise for Sinclair Prosser Gasior .

default image
– Walter K.

Blog Subscription

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

ANNAPOLIS

900 Bestgate Road
Suite 103, Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Phone: (410) 573-4818
Fax: (410) 573-2802

BOWIE

4201 Mitchellville Road
Suite 403, Bowie, MD 20716
Phone: (301) 970-8080
Fax: (410) 573-2802

MILLERSVILLE

1520 Jabez Run Rd
Suite 300, Millersville, Maryland 21108
Phone: (410) 573-4818
Fax: (410) 573-2802

WALDORF

Hamilton Centre II
3261 Old Washington Road, Suite 2020 Waldorf, MD 20602
Phone: 800-366-4615

Map

map for office

Footer

footer logo
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

The information on this Maryland Attorneys & Lawyers / Law Firm website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

© 2022 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys| Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map