We’ve blogged a couple of times about the estate of late former Pennsylvania State head football coach Joe Paterno. Recently, we reported that Mr. Paterno’s estate had taken the unusual step of asking a probate court to seal Mr. Paterno’s Will. The court agreed to the request, prompting many people to speculate about what could have been so important to prompt the court to seal what is almost always made part of the public record.
Since the report of the Will being sealed, the Paterno estate has decided to release the Will to the public. What is somewhat surprising, however, is that the will contains nothing that appears to be sensitive or prompt a court to decide to seal the document.
The will is what is known as a “pour over Will.” These types of wills are created to work together with a living trust. The will exists as a sort of catch all that transfers any property a testator leaves to that trust. In Mr. Paterno’s Will, he directs that his wife should inherit his vehicles and his personal property, while the rest of his property will be transferred to the living trust.
The documents released by the Paterno estate include the will Mr. Paterno created in 1997, as well as a short modification he made years later, known as a codicil.
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