The Will of Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson on the pioneering sitcom The Jeffersons from 1975 to 1985, is being contested in a Texas probate court.
Hemsley, who had been battling lung cancer, died at his home in El Paso, Texas, on July 24, 2012. On June 23, Hemsley had signed a Will which left his entire estate, worth approximately $50,000, to his “beloved partner” Flora Enchinton. Enchinton was Hemsley’s manager and claims that she lived with him for more than ten years.
Following his death, a Philadelphia man named Richard Thornton claimed to be Hemsley’s brother and filed a Will contest stating that the Will was not made by Hemsley—specifically, that one of the signatures appears to be a tracing. Enchinton claims that in the twenty years she knew Hemsley, he had never mentioned any siblings or Thornton.1
Judge Patricia Chew has ordered a DNA test for Thornton and has set a trial date of October 31. It is expected that if the DNA test results prove that Thornton is indeed Hemsley’s brother, the case will proceed and the judge will determine the validity of Hemsley’s Will. If the Will is determined to be invalid, then Thornton, as Hemsley’s only known sibling, would inherit the estate unless an earlier Will is presented. However, if the DNA test results fail to prove a relationship between Thornton and Hemsley, the case would be dismissed since Thornton would not have grounds to contest Hemsley’s Will.
Meanwhile, Hemsley’s body remains in refrigeration at an El Paso funeral home and awaits burial more than two months after his death.
1. Additionally, another individual named Mike Wells claims that he is a cousin on Hemsley’s mother’s side and he will try to intervene legally before the trial commences.