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Williams heirs said to be close to an agreement
By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff, 7/16/2002
Williams family members did not release any statements yesterday. But Richard Fitzpatrick, one of the lawyers for eldest daughter Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell, told the Associated Press last evening that he is optimistic an agreement can be reached by today. The Williams estate yesterday was ready to submit the late baseball star's will to a court, according to an associate of the family. But all three Williams heirs have become dismayed at the intense publicity surrounding the case, said the associate, and they fear that a court hearing airing intimate family details could further cast a shadow over Williams's legacy. The negotiations yesterday represent the first movement toward possible resolution of this otherwise bitter and bizarre dispute over Williams's body that began after he died July 5, but it was unclear which aspects of the will were under negotiation. Friends of John Henry Williams, Ted's son, have said that he remains a firm believer in the potential for medical science to revive the dead, his apparent motive for authorizing the shipment of his father's corpse to an Arizona cryonics facility for deep freezing. Ferrell has said her father indicated verbally and in writing that he preferred cremation. Ferrell threatened legal action to enforce this wish the day after Williams died. However, the quietest heir, youngest daughter Claudia, broke her silence Sunday, indicating that the negative publicity surrounding the case has deeply troubled her. Without offering her view of the cryonics plan, she said the family was attempting to follow their father's wishes. Claudia Williams, who has been staying with John Henry Williams at their father's house since his death, is ambivalent about cryonics but does want to carry out her father's wishes, even if that includes deep-freezing his body in liquid nitrogen, said the family associate. Yesterday marked the 10th day since Williams's death, the deadline in Florida for filing wills. About two dozen reporters spent the day standing in front of the Citrus County courthouse awaiting the filing of Williams's will, with many court officials and Inverness residents marveling at the rare spotlight that has been cast on their tiny bedroom community 70 miles north of Tampa. The 5 p.m. deadline passed with no action by either side in the dispute. Local lawyers said the deadline is often ignored without any repercussions. State law calls for punishment only if one party requests it, an unlikely prospect given the negotiations. ''There is no provision under Florida law that really penalizes anyone for failing to comply. The deadline passes all the time,'' said Jeffrey Baskies, an analyst for Lawyers Weekly and a Florida estate law expert. ''Given the public nature of this dispute, it's not surprising that they're negotiating. But it is unusual. In most cases, the will isn't challenged until it's filed.'' Discussions among attorneys for the three Williams children continued into the evening. John Henry and Claudia Williams, children of Ted Williams's third marriage, met for more than five hours with Ferrell, Williams's only child from his first marriage. Ferrell until yesterday had been vociferously critical of John Henry Williams, accusing him of seeking to freeze their father in order to sell his DNA. Friends of John Henry Williams have cast doubt on this motive. The two siblings disagree over what Ted Williams's intentions were regarding his resting place. His will, according to Ferrell's lawyers, stipulates cremation. However, lawyers for John Henry Williams have said documentation exists showing that Ted Williams authorized his only son to carry out the cryonics plan. It is not clear whether that authorization is in a second will or another legal document. In addition, Williams's will apparently gives Ferrell a smaller share of the estate than the other two heirs, according to a family friend who has reviewed the document. If the matter enters a courtroom, as many wills do, a Florida judge can request a hearing involving testimony by family members and friends regarding the deceased's intentions. Lawyers for Ferrell contacted several of Williams's former caretakers over the weekend, telling them to be ready for possible court appearances. ''They just said to stand by, that we'll get together soon,'' said John L. Sullivan, Williams's personal assistant from 1996 to 2000. ''But today we didn't hear anything from them.'' Raja Mishra can be reached at rmishra@globe.com.
This story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 7/16/2002.
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NVERNESS, Fla. - After a day of intensive negotiations, the three children of Ted Williams yesterday were close to an agreement to bring a quiet end to the noisy dispute over the Red Sox legend's remains, ignoring a Florida court deadline in order to attempt to reach a settlement that would prevent the family feud from entering a courtroom.