Family members left behind by the late Whitney Houston have taken to the court system in an effort to delay Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina’s inheritance. As it stands, Bobbi Kristina, 19, is the only heir to Houston’s estate, but Houston’s mother Cissy and sister-in-law Marion don’t believe that Bobbi Kristina is prepared to handle the large endowment. According to Houston’s will, last updated in February 1993, Bobbi Kristina is set to receive 10% of the estate’s value when she turns 21, a sixth when she turns 20, and the remainder when she turns thirty. This includes all present and future assets earned in Houston’s name.
A request filed by the family in court calls for the creation of a “testamentary trust,” that would split the control of the estate and allow the family to have a more direct role in how Bobbi Kristina receives the money. According to the document, Cissy feels that her granddaughter is “a highly visible target for those who would exert undue influence over her inheritance and/or seek to benefit from respondent’s resources and celebrity.”
Though Whitney chose not to update her will for almost two decades, the two trustees feel that the schedule of payments to Bobbi Kristina “would likely directly conflict with and cause the opposite of [Whitney’s] intent to provide long-term financial security and protection for her child.” No doubt there is uncertainty with the family as to whether or not Bobbi Kristina would be able to properly handle such a fortune.
Just last week, Bobbi Kristina and her foster brother turned boyfriend Nick Gordon were involved in a car accident in Georgia, leaving Gordon’s black camero seriously damaged. The 19-year-old is currently taking part in filming for The Houston Family Chronicles, an upcoming Lifetime reality TV show, which will feature Cissy as well. The show is set to premier on October 24.
