Britney Spears’ widow Jane Buffett has appealed a court order allowing a co‑trustee of the late singer’s $275 million trust to use trust funds to pay legal costs. Jane and co‑trustee Richard Mozenter are each seeking to remove the other from their roles overseeing the trust. Jane has accused Mozenter, Buffett’s longtime financial advisor, of “continuing to raid the Trust” to “finance his litigation campaign against Jane.”
Jane Buffett, the widow of Jimmy Buffett, has appealed a Florida court order permitting a co‑trustee of the late singer’s $275 million trust to pay legal fees using trust assets.
The appeal marks the latest development in an escalating legal dispute between Jane Buffett and Richard Mozenter, Buffett’s longtime financial adviser and co‑trustee, over control of the estate.
Buffett named Jane, his wife of 46 years, and Mozenter as co‑trustees before his death in 2023. They are now each seeking to remove the other from their positions overseeing the trust. Jane filed her appeal on Thursday, Feb. 26, with Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals. She is seeking relief from a Feb. 18 order issued by Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Charles E. Burton granting Mozenter’s request to use trust assets to pay “reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.”
In the same ruling, Burton denied Jane’s cross‑motion to block Mozenter from using trust funds and to recover $2 million she says he already spent on legal fees. Citing Florida law, Burton’s decision states that “a trustee may pay his legal fees from the trust and the burden is on the beneficiary to prove to the Court that should not be allowed.” He adds that such proof “would come from a mini evidentiary hearing.”
However, as Burton notes, the Court “has never heard any sworn testimony or evidence in this case,” particularly regarding any alleged misuse of funds from Buffett’s trust. “Unlike most of the trust litigation that occurs in court, there are no allegations that anyone has used trust assets for their own personal gain or diverted trust assets for their personal benefit,” Burton continues. “Instead, the complaint and counterclaim essentially allege that these two people have such a personality conflict that they cannot get along and work together as co‑trustees.”
Summarizing Mozenter’s and Jane’s “laundry list of grievances,” Burton notes that Mozenter has alleged Jane interfered with employees, pushed out Buffett’s longtime law firm, and refused to engage with him on trust matters. Jane, in turn, has claimed Mozenter withheld financial information for 19 months and has behaved combatively toward her. The judge also cautioned that continued pre‑trial motions would likely increase legal costs and could ultimately affect the trust’s liquidity. “Having pre‑trial evidentiary motions will only result in more expense to the trust and more fees and costs,” his decision states.
Burton concluded his ruling by writing, “This case is not complex nor are the allegations raised by the parties.”
The day after the order was issued, Jane asked the court to stay the ruling while she pursued an appeal. In her filing, she accused Mozenter of “continuing to raid” Buffett’s trust to “finance his litigation campaign” against her.
Jane also expressed concern that Mozenter’s legal spending could “balloon now that this Court has blessed Mr. Mozenter’s blank check.”
“Every dollar Mr. Mozenter spends on his litigation against Jane is a dollar taken from the Trust that Jimmy established to support her,” Jane’s motion states. “The Trust may never be able to recover this money.” Mozenter pushed back in his response, arguing that Jane’s pretrial motions are putting financial strain on the trust.
“If Mrs. Buffett is truly concerned about Mr. Mozenter exhausting the Trust’s assets through the payment of legal fees, she should cease wasting the Court’s time and the Trust’s money with wholly unnecessary motion practice and focus on resolving this action as swiftly and economically as possible,” Mozenter’s filing states.
On Feb. 26, Burton denied Jane’s request to stay his earlier order, allowing Mozenter to continue using trust funds to pay his legal fees while the case proceeds. Jane filed her appeal with Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals that same day.
A friend of the Buffetts told PEOPLE in June that Jane was upset and confused by the turmoil surrounding her late husband’s estate.
“Jimmy would never have wanted Jane to be treated like this,” the friend said at the time. “I know how close Jimmy and Jane were all these years, and how Jimmy relied upon and trusted Jane with so many of his important decisions in his life and career.”
