The wife of popular dancer and DJ, Stephen “tWitch” Boss has asked for her deceased husband’s assets and future royalties from his various projects converted to her property. The bereaved partner has to have a judge’s ruling because Boss transitioned without a will in place to dictate his asset allocation.
Of the assets, the wife is petitioning for “confirmation of property belonging to the surviving spouse.”
Spousal Property Petition
Lawyers representing Allison Holker, Boss’ wife and mother of his three children, filed a spousal property petition with the court regarding her husband’s estate, after his recent death by suicide, according to Radar Online.
The claim stated the “petitioner is seeking to have all shares of stock passed and confirmed under the petition.”
On Dec. 13, 2022, Boss’ dead body was discovered in an Encino motel, the Oak Tree Inn, by a housekeeper. He had shot himself in the bathroom of the room. The celebrity, who got his start on the hit FOX show, “So You Think You Can Dance,” left a suicide note behind for his loved ones.
The letter seemed to express his concerns about his past challenges, the NY Post reported.
According to the documents, Boss was the 100% owner of Stephen Boss Productions (SBP) and received 100% of royalties earned from projects executed through the brand.
In addition to his company, he also had several investments with Goldman Sachs Investments.
Asset Distribution Without A Will in California
Because Boss did not have a will and lived in the state of California. So, much of his estate has entered into “Intestate Succession,” and needs to go through a probate process to determine who is his next-of-kin and thus should inherit his property.
According to Janet L. Brewer’s website, “Intestate succession is the term to describe the process for handling an individual’s estate when that person dies without a last will and testament. It is how the state determines who is to inherit what from you if you pass away.”
Here are times when intestate succession applies to the distribution of assets:
- Property that has been transferred to a living trust
- Proceeds from life insurance that has a named beneficiary
- Funds held in an IRA, a 401(k), or other types of retirement account with a named beneficiary
- Payable-on-death bank accounts
- Securities held in a transfer-on-death account
- Vehicles held in a transfer-on-death account
- Property owned jointly with another individual in joint tenancy as community property with the right of survivorship.
However, in cases where the person was married at the time of his demise and did not have a will, the courts must distinguish, according to the state’s law, if the assets fall into one of two different categories.
Trust and Will clarifies that there is a distinction between community property and separate property. Additionally, there are also certain stipulations for a married couple with children. According to California Law, in this case, “the spouse would inherit all of the community property and one-third of the separate property. The children would inherit the remaining two-thirds.”
By filing a spousal property petition, Holker is hoping to get courts to “transfer or confirm property” to her without having to go through the full process of probate.
The widow is not totally without income from her husband’s businesses. As the beneficiary of some of his projects, she is currently receiving $600,000 in compensation from SBP, and $26,924.19 from his Goldman Sachs portfolio, according to The Blast.
Keeping His Memory Alive
Boss and Holker were married in 2013. She recently worked with Boss’ former employer Ellen DeGeneres to pay tribute to her husband. On Feb. 11, she and about 250 people gathered in Los Angeles to memorialize his life.
In addition to his wife, Boss leaves to mourn three children: Weslie Fowler, 14, Maddox Laurel Boss, 6, and Zaia Boss, 3.
