Estate of late Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon locked in a bitter battle with the new owner of his beloved dog who says he has not received $140,000 annual allowance to care for the canine
- Animal rights advocate Sam Simon died of colon cancer in March aged 59
- He bequeathed his beloved dog Columbo to his dog trainer Tyson Kilmer
- Kilmer claims it is a financial burden and trust hasn't issued funds for care
- The Simon trust said that it had allocated 'reasonable resources' for pet
- It said Kilmer had demanded 'ludicrous' sums, including one for $1.7million
- Kilmer denied making any demands to DailyMail.com, adding the allegation is 'laughable'
The estate of Sam Simon is locked in a bitter battle over his will – with a dog trainer claims he needs a $140,000 allowance to care for The Simpsons co-creator's beloved pet.
Simon, a renowned animal rights advocate, died of colon cancer aged 59 in March this year.
After being given the devastating terminal diagnosis in 2012, he dedicated his $100million fortune to helping charitable causes and animal rights organizations.
He bequeathed his five-year-old Cano Corso – a rescue called Columbo – to his friend and dog trainer Tyson and his wife Alison Kilmer.
Scroll down for video
The estate of Sam Simon (pictured) is locked in a bitter battle over his will after the dog trainer who is now caring for his dog Columbo (right) claimed he has not received the $140,000 annual allowance Simon promised in order to cover the dog's medical and therapeutic treatments
But according to The Hollywood Reporter, the Kilmers claim they received the dog but not the funds to cover Columbo’s medical and therapeutic treatments every year.
Simon had paid for Columbo’s treatments – which included acupuncture twice a week at a cost of $3,640 every month – until he died, THR reported.
Share this article
Kilmer told DailyMail.com: 'He told me on his deathbed: 'Tyson, take my dog, I got you covered.' That's all I needed to hear.'
He claimed that if Columbo does not maintain his care regimen, his behavior could become more aggressive, which he fears will endanger his children.
But he refuses to give Columbo away, adding: 'I love this dog. Sam would want me to fight against this. Columbo was Sam's son. There is no way he would not continue to get Columbo his treatments.'
Sam Simon, a renowned animal rights advocate, died of colon cancer aged 59 in March this year
After being given the devastating diagnosis in 2012, Simon (pictured with his five-year-old Cano Corso named Columbo) dedicated his $100million fortune to helping charitable causes and animal rights organizations
Kilmer said he had been hired by Simon to train Columbo and ensure he did not attack anyone on the producer's property.
A friend of Simon's, Merrill Markoe, told THR that he would be 'humiliated and enraged' about what is going on.
She said: 'At the very least, Sam would have expected Columbo's care to be the same as it was when he was alive. He would never have agreed to cut off funds for his own f****** dog!'
However, in a statement sent to DailyMail.com, the Simon Trust - which is overseen by Simon's former business manager Julie Miller - said the late TV veteran had 'carefully planned every detail of his trust'.
It said Kilmer had demanded 'ludicrous sums' which the trust is not legally able to distribute.
But Kilmer told DailyMail.com that he made no such demands, adding the allegations were 'laughable'.
He also claimed that Miller had been the one to signed off on the medical bills for Columbo while Simon was alive.
'But as soon as we took Columbo home, those payments stopped,' he said.
Describing Simon as a 'passionate philanthropist', the trust said: 'Friends of Sam regularly saw his love and complete dedication to Columbo, his beloved Cane Corso dog, who was consistently at Sam’s side during his brave and inspiring, but ultimately unsuccessful battle against cancer.'
However, it explained that the trust had allocated 'reasonable' resources for Columbo's care despite others who offered to take in the dog for free.
It said: 'The trustee charged with carrying out Sam’s wishes allocated reasonable resources for Columbo’s care within the limitations allowed by the trust and the law.
He bequeathed Columbo to his friend and dog trainer Tyson Kilmer (pictured) who says the cost of caring for Columbo is a huge financial burden
Sam Simon (right) developed The Simpsons in the late 1980s with Matt Groening (left) and James L. Brooks
He left The Simpsons (pictured, the cartoon family) in 1993 but was still credited an an executive producer. He estimated that his severance package earned him about $10 million a year
'However, these generous contributions were met with endless frivolous complaints by the trainer that these funds were insufficient.'
The trust added that Kilmer had made 'consistent demands' for 'ludicrous sums' - including an initial demand for approximately $1.7million.
'These demands were even more outrageous considering that a back-up person named by Sam to care for Columbo was willing and able to do so at no cost,' it added.
'When Sam left Columbo in his trusted friend and dog trainer’s hands, he felt secure that his dog would be loved and cared for, and that his fortune would go toward causes that were close to his heart.
'It is truly sad that someone would try to take advantage of Sam’s generosity to unjustly enrich themselves at the expense of other causes.
'While the trainer may mistakenly believe that the trustee can distribute Sam’s funds at her discretion, the reality is that she cannot.
'Nobody is forcing him to take Columbo, or to spend excessive amounts of money on his care.'
Among his charitable efforts, he established the Sam Simon Foundation, which rescues dogs and trains them to assist disabled veterans and the hard-of-hearing
Simon devoted his final months to animal rights causes after receiving his devastating prognosis.
He immediately teamed up with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) President Ingrid Newkirk, and dedicated much of his time to the rescue of mistreated animals and conservation.
However, PETA is another non-profit that says it has not received any funds from Simon's estate after benefiting from his generosity while he was alive.
Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for the trust, told DailyMail.com that this is because the trust has not yet been funded.
He said that while the trust has been established, the process for distributing funds has also not.
Before his death, the Emmy-winning producer spoke about why he decided to dedicate his fortune and final months to animal rights.
He said: 'The thing about animals that speaks to me so much is that my passion for the animals and against animal abuse is based on the knowledge that these creatures which think and feel can't speak for themselves.
'I feel it is my responsibility to speak for those who can't speak for themselves.'
Until his death, he funded projects that feed homeless people and saved animals from being killed in shelters.
Among his charitable efforts, he established the Sam Simon Foundation, which rescues dogs and trains them to assist disabled veterans and the hard-of-hearing.
Simon developed The Simpsons in the late 1980s with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. He left in 1993 but was still credited an an executive producer.
He estimated that his severance package earned him about $10 million a year.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3255470/Estate-late-Simpsons-creator-Sam-Simon-locked-bitter-battle-new-owner-beloved-dog-says-not-received-140-000-annual-allowance-care-canine.html#ixzz3nhCyDSD0
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for commenting.
Your comment will be held for approval by the blog owner.