Robin Williams' wife, kids fight over estate

It's a sad epilogue to Robin Williams' death.

The comedian's wife, Susan, and children Zachary, Zelda and Cody are fighting over his estate.

In court papers filed in December in San Francisco Superior Court, Susan — Williams' third wife — says some of his personal items were taken from her Tiburon, Calif., home north of San Francisco without permission, and she says she's entitled to jewelry, memorabilia and other items Williams said the children should have.

The kids say she's "adding insult to a terrible injury" by trying to change the trust agreement and rob them of the late actor's clothing and other personal items.

In court papers, lawyers for the Williams' children say they are "heartbroken" that Susan Williams has "acted against his wishes by challenging the plans he so carefully made for his estate," reports AP.

The dispute seems to revolve around two houses Williams owned at the time of his death, one in Napa and the other in Tiburon, valued at $7 million. The trust, which her late husband most recently amended in 2010 before their marriage in 2011, grants her the Tiburon residence and its contents upon his death.

But the contents are the sticking point.

According to the court documents, there's a paragraph that Williams' children get all of his "clothing, jewelry, personal photos taken prior to his marriage ... memorabilia and awards in the entertainment industry and the tangible personal property located in Napa."

Susan Williams' petition asks the court to define categories such as "memorabilia," saying it should pertain only to items depicting him or relating to his fame. "In other words, this does not include his personal collections of knick-knacks." She also says his watches shouldn't be included among the jewelry given to the kids.

Williams's children dispute her interpretations, particularly criticizing her characterization of their father's collections — which apparently included Japanese anime figurines, antique weapons, carved boxes, theater masks, rare books, lapel pins, fossils, graphic novels and skulls — as "knick-knacks." They were "carefully amassed" during his lifetime and should go to his children, they argue, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Williams died at the Tiburon home in August. The coroner ruled his death a suicide that resulted from asphyxia caused by hanging. Susan Williams has said the actor and comedian was struggling with depression, anxiety and a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

James Wagstaffe, an attorney for Susan Williams, said Monday that his client was only seeking guidance from the court about the meaning of certain terms in the trust. "This is not ugly," he said. "I would not say this is anticipated to be a highly contested proceeding."

Allan Mayer, attorney for the children, declined to comment.