In short: Jimmy Buffett’s widow, Jane Buffett, and co-trustee Richard Mozenter have been litigating since 2025 in Palm Beach County over a marital trust reported at about $275 million. According to news reports, each side accuses the other of breaching fiduciary duties; Jane alleges withheld information and excessive fees, and Mozenter sought her removal. The court has denied Jane’s motion to remove Mozenter and allowed his legal fees to be paid from the trust, which she appealed. The lessons for ordinary families: pick co-trustees who can work together, define fees, and require regular accountings.
Matt has a series of videos on the Jimmy Buffett trust fight, and he frames it the same way every time: this isn’t celebrity gossip. It’s the most expensive possible demonstration of what goes wrong when a trust is built around people who can’t work together.
Everything below about the parties’ positions is allegation, drawn from news coverage of public court filings. The court’s rulings are noted as rulings.
The Basic Facts
- The trust: a marital trust created under Jimmy Buffett’s estate plan for his widow, Jane Buffett, reported at about $275 million.
- The co-trustees: Jane Buffett and Richard “Rick” Mozenter, Buffett’s longtime financial adviser. News reports also identify a corporate co-trustee.
- The filings: in June 2025, Mozenter petitioned in Palm Beach County to remove Jane as co-trustee. Jane filed in Los Angeles the next day, then in July 2025 filed in West Palm Beach to remove Mozenter. The case proceeded in Palm Beach County.
What Each Side Alleges
Jane Buffett alleges that Mozenter withheld basic information and accountings about the trust, charged unreasonable fees (reported at about $1.7 million a year), projected only modest annual income for her, and was openly hostile.
Mozenter alleges that Jane was uncooperative and breached her own fiduciary duties. In August 2025 he proposed decanting the trust’s assets into a new trust, which Jane opposed.
What the Court Has Ruled So Far
As reported:
- August 2025: the judge denied Jane’s motion to remove Mozenter and ordered mediation.
- February 2026: the court allowed Mozenter to pay his legal fees from marital trust funds. Jane appealed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal.
- 2026: additional claims were filed, and a bench trial was reported set for January 2027.
Lesson 1: Co-Trustees Have to Be Able to Work Together
A trust that requires a surviving spouse and a professional adviser to act jointly can deadlock. Florida lets a court remove a trustee for “lack of cooperation among cotrustees” that substantially impairs administration (§ 736.0706), but getting there takes years of litigation. See being a trustee.
Lesson 2: Define the Fees
When the trust doesn’t spell out compensation, a trustee is entitled to what’s “reasonable under the circumstances” (§ 736.0708). On a large trust, percentage-based fees add up fast, and so do legal fees paid from the trust.
Lesson 3: Require Accountings
Florida requires trustees to keep qualified beneficiaries reasonably informed and account at least annually (§ 736.0813). A properly delivered accounting can also start shorter limitation periods (§ 736.1008), which is why what counts as an “accounting” became its own fight here. See trustee duties and beneficiary rights.
Lesson 4: Decanting Is a Real Power
Florida lets a trustee with absolute discretion over principal move assets into a new trust (§ 736.04117). Families should understand who holds that power before they need to fight about it. See changing an irrevocable trust.
Lesson 5: Litigation Eats the Trust
Matt’s line from the videos: the lawyers get paid first. Whoever wins, the trust pays for a lot of the fight.
Sources: NBC Miami; NBC News; Palm Beach Daily News via Yahoo.
Watch: the videos behind this article
Jimmy Buffett Estate Lawsuit: Inside the $200M Trust Battle (Episode 1)
Jimmy Buffett Trust War: “A Pirate Looked at 40” Now the Lawyers Are Paid First
Jimmy Buffett Estate — Why Is a Trust Company in the Middle of This?
Jimmy Buffett Estate WAR | I Pulled the ACTUAL Court Docket (What’s Really Happening)
More Short Videos on This Issue
Go Deeper
- Should You Agree to Be a Trustee in Florida? How to Accept, Decline, Resign, and Get Paid
- Florida Trustee Duties & Beneficiary Rights
- Suing a Florida Trustee for Stealing or Mismanagement
- Can You Change an Irrevocable Trust in Florida? Modification, Decanting, Reformation, and Disclaimers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Jimmy Buffett trust lawsuit about?
A dispute between co-trustees of a marital trust created for Jane Buffett. According to news reports, Jane alleges co-trustee Richard Mozenter withheld information and charged excessive fees; Mozenter alleges she was uncooperative and breached her own duties. Both sought the other’s removal in Palm Beach County.
What has the court decided in the Buffett trust case?
According to news reports, in August 2025 the Palm Beach County judge denied Jane Buffett’s motion to remove Mozenter and ordered mediation, and in February 2026 allowed Mozenter’s legal fees to be paid from the trust, which Jane appealed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. A trial was reported set for January 2027.
Can a co-trustee be removed in Florida?
Yes. Under § 736.0706, a court may remove a trustee for a serious breach of trust, lack of cooperation among co-trustees that substantially impairs administration, unfitness or persistent failure to administer the trust effectively, or substantially changed circumstances.
Can a trustee pay legal fees from the trust in Florida?
Often, yes, for defending the administration of the trust in good faith, though courts can review those fees and, in breach of trust cases, award fees against a party’s share (§ 736.1004). That’s why fee provisions and the choice of trustee matter so much.
Talk to a Florida probate litigator
Weidner Law, P.A. handles Florida probate, trust, guardianship, and will disputes from St. Petersburg. If you need a probate litigation lawyer in St. Petersburg or anywhere in Florida, call (727) 954-8752 or email weidner@mattweidnerlaw.com.
Read the law yourself, free: the full Florida Probate Code and Probate Rules and the Florida Trust Code are on floridarules.net.
This article is general information about Florida law, not legal advice about your situation. Reading it, watching the videos, or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements.
