09/15/2026
When Jimmy Buffett died, he was remembered as the embodiment of the chill life who parlayed his easygoing hits into an array of restaurants, tequila, apparel, casinos, cruises and island-themed retirement communities.
As part of his estate plan, Jimmy had directed assets worth an estimated $275 million into a marital trust after his death, naming Jane as the sole beneficiary, while their three children were named remainder beneficiaries after Jane’s death.
Now, three years after Jimmy’s death, the family is locked in a legal dispute over that Margaritaville fortune. It has upended the fun-loving vibes the musician spent his life cultivating, with the family seeming rudderless without Jimmy as their figurehead, according to court documents and interviews.
The conflict includes accusations from both sides about mismanaging trust funds and assets. Jane Buffett and Richard Mozenter, the late-singer’s business manager, are each seeking to remove each other as co-trustees in the trust, which includes a stake in the Margaritaville business empire. Meanwhile, executives, longtime family assistants and Jimmy’s family members have been pulled into the litigation. The messy affair is headed for a January trial.
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