201904.23

Kristoff St. John’s father and daughter granted power to sell his condo; handwritten will may be challenged

by jeff in News

LOS ANGELES — A judge on Monday named the father and older daughter of the late actor Kristoff St. John to act as special co-administrators for the limited purposes of selling a condominium the daytime series star owned, and to marshal the assets inside that property as well as in the rental unit where he lived.

Kristoff St. John’s fathers said a handwritten will grants Lola St. John, left, 75 percent of the daytime-drama actor’s personal savings, leaving 25 percent for Paris St. John, right. The half-sisters are seen above with their father at the 10th anniversary celebration of “The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil” at The Mirage Hotel & Casino on July 14, 2016 in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Deborah Christian said Christopher and Paris St. John will maintain their temporary powers until July 22. The attorneys on both sides reached the agreement during a recess in Monday’s scheduled hearing, which originally was to deal with competing petitions St. John’s daughter and father have brought to administrator the actor’s estate.

St. John, who played Neil Winters on “The Young and the Restless” for nearly 30 years, died of hypertrophic heart failure Feb. 3 at his home in Woodland Hills at age 52.

Attorney David Esquibias, who represents Paris St. John, said the actor’s mother lived in the condominium owned by his client’s father and that the actor himself lived in a separate rental property.

The judge said she hoped the sale efforts will move quickly to keep lenders from getting involved if the condominium falls into foreclosure. Christian also said she will deal with the competing petitions later as well as the validity of a will that Kristoff’s father says was handwritten by his son in 2017.

The will states that St. John wanted his personal savings and money to be shared between Paris St. John and her sister, Lola, at a split of 25 percent and 75 percent, respectively. Dated Aug. 12, 2017, the will also requests Kristoff’s father be the executor of his estate.

Attorney Ashley Blaser, who also represents Paris St. John, said her client plans to file a petition challenging the will.

The judge asked the attorneys whether their clients were interested in hiring a mediator to help them resolve their differences, but lawyer Nathan Talei, representing St. John’s father, said the estate’s assets are so small that mediation costs could use up much of the holdings.