Leonard Cohen’s son and daughter sue trustee appointed to oversee late star’s $48m estate

The children of singer Leonard Cohen are suing the trustee appointed to take over their late father’s $48 million estate, alleging that he appropriated their father’s fortune more than a decade ago.

Lorca Cohen, 48, and Adam Cohen, 50, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against attorney Robert Kory, 72, more than a year ago, saying he forged documents in 2005 to seize control. of the singer’s estate.

The singer, who was 82 when he died in 2016, is known for his hit song ‘Hallelujah’. Leonard left behind an archive valued at more than $48 million, which includes about 250 diaries he has written since he was a child, poetry, books, hundreds of photos, and millions of dollars in royalties.

“Leonard Cohen’s lawyers and manager built their trust so they could strip the million-dollar estate and steal the Hall of Famer’s legacy from his own children,” attorney Adam Streisand said. The New York Post.

Lorca Cohen, 48, and Adam Cohen, 50, have been in an ongoing battle with lawyer Robert Kory, 72, who took over the singer’s estate when he died in 2016. Pictured: Lorca and Leonard

Adam Cohen (above) is also suing Kory. He is seen above holding. reward in honor of his father in 2017

Robert Kory, 72, took over the property from Leonard. Since then, he has published a book on the singer’s behalf and is set to open an exhibition.

The children’s lawyer argues that the singer’s trust that assigned his assets to them was “exchanged” after his death. In the photo: Leonard (center) with Adam (right) and Lorca (left)

Before he died, Leonard had left Kory in charge of his affairs, which Lorca and Adam now call a mistake.

Streisand claimed the singer left two different signed versions of his trust, one of which left his assets to Lorca, Adam and his ex-wife Anjani Thomas, according to the Post.

“This one true version of the Trust names Adam, Lorca and Anjani Thomas,” the court documents read.

But Streisand argued that the trust that designated Leonard’s children was “exchanged” after his death.

In the court filing, Lorca and Adam claim that Leonard realized in his final days that he had made a grave mistake in allowing Kory to meddle in Leonard’s affairs and take control of virtually every aspect of his finances and business. Leonard’s legacy.

Lorca and Adam further insisted that Kory hired Ryan Kory, his son, to help with the singer’s assets and filing documents, including copies of his songs along with thousands of photographs.

Kory has since profited from Leonard’s estate by publishing a novel about the singer called “A Ballet of Lepers” and by launching an art gallery exhibit in Canada, “Everybody Knows.”

Despite not having control of their father’s estate, Lorca and Adam receive $400,000 each year.

Streisand claimed that the singer left two different signed versions of his trust, one of which left his assets to Lorca, Adam and his ex-wife Anjani Thomas. Pictured: Thomas and Adam

Despite not having control of their father’s estate, Lorca and Adam receive $400,000 each year. In the photo: Lorca, then 16 years old, with Leonard

A lawyer for Leonard said the singer told him to change the trustee of his estate to Kory.

Reeve Chudd, the singer’s lawyer, wrote in a letter that Leonard asked him to make Kory in charge of his estate.

“In 2016, without Mr. Kory’s request, Mr. Cohen directed me to change the successor trustee to Mr. Kory,” Chudd wrote in a letter found in the court filing. “He was concerned that his children did not have a comfortable enough relationship to work together on the complexities of the artist’s estate.

The letter continued: “While Mr. Cohen did not want this change in trust succession disclosed to his children, Mr. Kory was adamant, and this was explained to Adam and Lorca at a meeting in September 2015.” .

Kory has denied foul play and said he has communicated appropriately with the singer’s children about his affairs, including the release of Leonard’s book and the exhibition, according to The Post.

He also insisted that he also send monthly financial statements to Lorca and Adán.

Leonard was born in Canada in 1932 and died ‘peacefully’ at his Los Angeles home on November 10, 2016.

His career in music spanned nearly five decades. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Leonard was born in Canada in 1932 and died “peacefully” at his home in Los Angeles on November 10, 2016.

Just three weeks before he died, the star released his latest album ‘You Want It Darker’ and believed it to be ‘one of his best records’.

Music fans called 2016 an ‘annus horribilis’ because Leonard died in a year that also saw David Bowie and Prince die.

His first big hit was So Long Marianne in 1967, written about his Norwegian lover Marianne Jensen, who died of cancer in August.

In a revealing letter sent days before he died, Cohen said: ‘I think I’ll follow you very soon. Know that I am so close to you that if you reach out your hand, I think you can reach mine.’

Before his musical stardom, he spent ten years before that as an acclaimed poet and novelist, but turned to music to “pay the bills.”

His music career spanned nearly five decades and saw him inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.