Melissa Mathison, who died last month at the age of 65, was renowned for being the screenwriter of E.T. and The Black Stallion. She had also been married to Harrison Ford from 1983 until 2004. She left an estate worth $22 million, most of which is in trust. However, her original will cannot be located.
Several very quick points because this is the holiday season after all:
1. A copy of a lost will can be admitted to probate in Ohio if there is proof it was validly executed and that it was not revoked.
2. I offer to retain original wills for my clients so they cannot be accidentally misplaced.
3. Mathison's family might wish to search for the will among the presumably multitude of rejected drafts of The Indian in the Cupboard while she tried to make it into an enjoyable movie.
