Heinz will, estate records released after newspapers' challenge

[kskiska]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — John Heinz III's will and 10 other documents from his estate were released to the public Friday, nearly 14 years after the U.S. senator was killed in a plane accident and the records were sealed.

(snip)

The records show Heinz had about $359 million in cash, stocks and personal property, among other things, in his name at the time of his death. His total assets, which included some jointly owned property not subject to probate, totaled about $423 million before being disbursed; the estate paid about $41 million in federal estate taxes and $17 million in state death taxes.

"There are legitimate and important security and privacy concerns for the Heinz family, as Judge Lucchino affirmed by limiting the documents being released today," Paul J. Bschorr, counsel to the executors of Heinz's estate said in a statement released Friday. "The fact is, the outdated probate records released today add little of relevance to current debate."

Ron Barber, a lawyer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, said it's not necessarily what is in the documents that is important.

"The fact that that door (at the Register of Wills' office) is open to the public is one of the things that makes us different from the rest of the world. And today that door was open to the public once again," Barber said.

more…
http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-25/1112364791217170.xml&storylist=penn

[ck4829]

1. I bet they 'wellstoned' him

For some reason, I just believe that.

[hholli1]

9. I've always thought the same thing...

I notice that Rick Santorum worked for him. Funny that.

[Robeson]

14. The reasons that have been speculated....

...come from the fact that John Tower, Head of the Tower Commission, which investigated the Reagan Adminsitrations dealings with the Iran Contra affair, died in a plane crash. Heinz, also, investigated Iran Contra. Both died in separate plane crashes 1 day apart from each each other. Speculation is that they retained important documents from their work on these matters. Also, it is thought by some that both Tower and Heinz were involved, and/or knew of Bush, Sr.'s, engineering of the delay of the release of the Iranian hostages, so that Reagan could be assured of victory in the 1980 election. Again, that name "Bush" just keeps popping up....

If the above speculations are true, then certainly there would have been plently of motives to eliminate Heinz from the scene. Dead men tell no tales...

[RamboLiberal]

23. Unless they hired kamikaze helicopter pilots this one was an accident

It was a clear day. The pilot on Heinz's private plane was getting an indication his nose gear was locked. Now you don't guarantee a catastrophic crash by sabotaging the nose gear. Pilots have routinely brought planes safely in with this condition.

A private helicopter volunteered to go up and take a look at the nose gear to see if they could tell if it was down and locked. On the 2nd pass the helicopter and plane collided. All on board the two aircraft were killed along with people on the ground.

The pilot of Heinz's aircraft lacked experience on that type of aircraft.

Tell me how whomever sabotaged the Heinz craft would guarantee that a helicopter would volunteer to inspect the plane? That the Heinz pilot would accept the chopper pilot's offer? And that the chopper pilot was willing to be a kamikaze?

I wonder if the plane's pilot was so nervous about carrying around an important senator that he erred on the side of caution, making two passes in front of the tower to check his nose gear, then allowing a helicopter pilot to check.

It was a stupid, stupid, ACCIDENT!



The wreckage of Pennsylvania Senator John Heinz's plane which crashed in a school yard killing him along with 4 others. Also killed were 2 children playing in the schoolyard. The plane crashed after the blades of a helicopter performing an in-air inspection of the landing gear struck the bottom of the plane. (April 4, 1991)

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/w910404.htm

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

2. Hate the Tribune-Review anyway...

Why did they want this information? Are they still after Teresa or are they gearing up against Chris Heinz for a potential political race?

[oldcoot]

8. Good Question

I, like millions of other Americans, am not a member of the Heinz family so why should I care about the contents of his will?

I am more concerned about how the Bush Administration totally botched the invasion of Iraq. I wonder how many Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers would still be alive today if Bush and his minions had lived in the real world instead of a fantasy world. This is the story that the press should be covering, and not the contents of a dead man's will.

[kskiska]

3. Looks like this paper

ended up with less than the contents of Al Capone's vault. Not quite the pay dirt they expected to find.

[Spazito]

4. This was a 'witch hunt', imo

designed to harm Kerry during the election. Why should anyone's will become fodder for the media simply because they are looking for dirt?

[rinsd]

5. Only $58M in estate taxes?

He must have had some damn good lawyers when setting up his estate.

[Frances]

6. When W dies,

the twins won't have to pay any federal estate taxes, as I understand it. That was one of the first tax changes Bush pushed for.

[ElaineinIN]

17. Under current law, it depends upon when he dies

First, repeal was so expense to begin with that they phased it in gradually, with the larger bumps coming after Jan 1, 2005 (read: after 2004 election) and the largest--from 2.0 million per person to $3.5 million per person in 2009 (read: after 2008 election).

True repeal doesn't actually happen until 1/1/2010.

Estate tax repeal was so expensive in the out years (after 2010) that they had to sunset the legsilation, so it will go back to the status quo as of the date the legilsation when into effect beginning 1/1/2011.

So, although the Repubs like to talk about how they repealed the "death tax" (which is isnt' its an estate tax, which is different, if you want to be technical about it), they really only repealed it, under current law, for anyone dying in 2010.

[Frances]

24. But isn't Bush pushing to make the law permanent

rather than having it expire in 2010?

[ElaineinIN]

16. Big Charitable Deduction

Anything passing to the Heinz Foundation probably qualified for a full charitable deduction.

[rinsd]

21. Thanks....

I don't know much about estate taxes but I certainly thought it was alot higher than 15% rate or so.

But the charitable deduction certainly makes sense.

[napi21]

7. Apparently they were hoping to find taxes hadn't been paid!

John Heinz was a Republican, but he was one of the good guys. I lived in Pgh for 42 years, and although I didn't know John or Theresa personally, you couldn't excape all the good things the Heinz's did over many years!

I can't believe how the Pubs eat their own when some little thing doesn't make 'em happy. This case is pretty sad, and I'm wondering if the rest of the Heinz family might not be thinking of changing their political support because of it.

[karynnj]

12. Teresa and 2 of her sons campaigned extensively for Kerry

With the way the RW tried to destroy her reputation, I would imagine that close friends and family should be upset with the Republicans.

[napi21]

15. I know Theresa's sons campaigned for Kerry, I'm talking about

John's family! They are all Pub supporters, but I doubt they like the Heinz will being dragged out by the Press. Seems to me the PUgs are really streaching the envelope on so many fronts these days, when they all hit them back at once, political bodies will be falling everywhere!

[JI7]

18. what family did John Heinz have other than Teresa and their sons ?

[Merlin]

10. They are not "state death taxes" They are officially Inheritance Taxes

The federal tax is an "Estate Tax" assessed against the state.

The state tax is an "Inheritance Tax" assessed against the beneficiaries.

[EFerrari]

11. Authorized Propaganda just had to sneak that in. n/t

[ElaineinIN]

19. Indiana has an estate tax and and inheritance tax...

It depends on the state! Many states do not have an inheritance tax, but only an estate tax which "picks up" a credit that used to exist under federal law. I don't, however, know what regime PA used at the time!

[Beaverhausen]

13. Isn't this the paper who's editor Teresa told to "Shove it!"

They have had it in for her for years.

[Junkdrawer]

20. Scaife...

Did I mention that I don't like that man?

[Democat]

22. Open private lives is very importants when going after Democrats

But only a terrorist supporter would expect Republicans to reveal anything about what they do with taxpayer money.