Frank Fritz's $6m estate dispute goes to trial as father challenges his will

More than two years after ‘American Pickers’ star Frank Fritz died at the age of 60, a bitter legal battle over his estate is heading to trial. The probate hearing is scheduled to begin on November 16 in Scott County, Iowa, with Fritz’s biological father, Bill, challenging a will that names some of the reality TV star’s close friends as beneficiaries.The dispute has continued despite multiple mediation sessions, which failed to produce an agreement.

Annette Oberlander Willows, one of Fritz’s close friends and a beneficiary named in the contested will, said the matter will now be left to the court unless the two sides reach a settlement before the trial.“I’m feeling very confident about the trial,” Oberlander said, according to The Des Moines Register, declining to discuss the specifics of the case because of the ongoing legal proceedings.

“I’m very confident that Frank’s last wishes will be upheld in the court of law.”The value of Fritz’s estate has been estimated at nearly $6 million, although no official figure is available. An Iowa judge has sealed the probate case, including the will, leaving details of his assets and other filings inaccessible to the public.Why Frank Fritz’s father is challenging his willAt the centre of the dispute is the question of whether Fritz was mentally capable of understanding and signing a will in 2023, following a debilitating stroke.

His father’s legal team is questioning the validity of the document, while his friends believe it reflects his final wishes.The issue dates back to July 2022, when Fritz was found unresponsive on the floor of his Davenport home. Doctors later determined that he had suffered a stroke. His recovery was difficult, with subsequent hospitalisations for seizures, high blood pressure and pneumonia-like symptoms, according to 911 recordings published by The Sun.In August 2022, a petition for emergency guardianship was filed, stating that a guardian was necessary to prevent immediate harm to Fritz.“Because of his stroke, Mr.

Fritz’s decision-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to care for his own safety, or to provide for necessities such as food, shelter, clothing or medical care,” the petition stated.It also claimed that he was “unable to make, communicate or carry out important decisions concerning his own financial affairs”.A judge granted the guardianship, citing a letter from Fritz’s doctor indicating that he was unable to make decisions for himself.

Several documents in the case, including the doctor’s letter, remain sealed. However, a public care plan filed a few weeks later indicated that Fritz did not have a living will at the time.By the time of his guardian’s final report following his death, Fritz was listed as having a will. The document was reportedly prepared in 2023, around eight months after the guardianship was established.Father’s lawyer says court’s earlier finding could invalidate the willBill Fritz’s lawyer, Cory Gourley, has previously argued that the judge’s finding that Fritz “does not have the capacity to execute any legal documents on his own behalf” is crucial evidence that the 2023 will should be set aside.Friends, however, have maintained that Fritz recovered and was in control of his faculties and thoughts during the period before his death.

They previously told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, that he was well enough to reconnect with his former co-star and friend Mike Wolfe after three years apart. He also reportedly enjoyed a night out with friends shortly before the holidays.If the will is declared invalid, Fritz’s estate would be distributed according to the legal hierarchy of blood relatives.

As an only child who was unmarried and had no children, his father would almost certainly inherit the assets.Friends and father offer different accounts of Frank Fritz’s personal lifeThe legal dispute has also brought conflicting accounts of Fritz’s relationship with his father and the people closest to him into focus.Gourley has described Bill and Frank as having a close relationship, saying they went on vacations together and regularly visited each other, with Bill travelling to Iowa and Frank visiting Texas.

He also claimed that when the guardianship was put in place, the defendants “cut off all access to Frank”.Oberlander, meanwhile, has described Fritz as someone whose life was surrounded by close friendships. She said acquaintances in the Quad Cities area stepped in to care for him after his stroke.According to her, apart from his mother, who died in 2013, Fritz did not have consistent or strong relationships with members of his biological family.

Court documents filed in the guardianship case also stated that he had “no living relatives he maintains contact with”.Frank Fritz’s journey to fame with ‘American Pickers’Fritz rose to fame alongside Mike Wolfe when their antique-hunting series ‘American Pickers’ premiered on the History Channel in 2010. Known for his dark beard, quick smile and passion for vintage motorcycles, he became a familiar face to viewers.The show followed Wolfe and Fritz as they travelled across the country, exploring backroads and small-town streets in search of antiques, collectibles and stories behind the objects they discovered.

Their easygoing chemistry and shared enthusiasm helped turn the series into a popular reality television hit.Wolfe paid tribute to his friend in an Instagram post shortly after his death, recalling their adventures before the show made them television stars.“Before the show, we would take off together to places we never knew existed with no destination in mind and just the shared passion to discover something interesting and historic,” Wolfe wrote.“Who would have ever dreamed we would share the cockpit of a white cargo van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures.”He also remembered Fritz for his authenticity, writing, “Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.”A pers…