Jimmy Buffett’s widow claims her late husband’s financial adviser “raced to court” to sue her last month as part of a “retaliatory” campaign “clearly intended to drain” assets from her $275 million marital trust and force her to back down from seeking his removal as her trust’s independent manager.
In new counterclaims filed Monday, Jane Buffett says she’s voluntarily dismissing the dueling lawsuit she filed against accountant Richard Mozenter in California on June 3 so she can “streamline” and consolidate their legal war in the Palm Beach County courthouse where Mozenter preemptively sued her on June 2.
In his Florida lawsuit, Mozenter alleged that Jimmy Buffett established the marital trust with Mozenter at the helm because he was concerned about Jane’s “ability to manage and control his assets.” Mozenter is seeking to remove Jane from any position of power over the trust set aside for her sole benefit during her lifetime.
In her competing filings, Jane and her lawyers argue it would be easy to replace Mozenter with someone Jane gets along with and trusts. They also argue Jane’s readiness to litigate in Florida, the forum chosen by Mozenter, proves she’s the one paying attention to “unnecessary waste” of her resources. They claim Mozenter, by contrast, has engaged in a “pattern of evasive conduct” and “breached his fiduciary duty” to act in her best interests.
“Jane will not play into Mr. Mozenter’s hands by litigating this dispute in two separate courts across the country, which would drain the very trust money that Jimmy specifically set aside for her care. Instead, Jane is bringing the fight to Florida, where she and Jimmy called home,” Jane’s lawyer, Matt Porpora from Sullivan and Cromwell, said in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. “Jane is confident she will prevail regardless of where her claims are heard, and her decision to move her claims from California to Florida illustrates that she is the only co-trustee looking to conserve—not waste—trust assets.” (Lawyers representing Mozenter did not respond to a request for comment.)
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Jimmy Buffett, the singer-songwriter known for his laid-back, Caribbean-infused soft rock and transforming his 1977 hit “Margaritaville” into a resorts and dining empire, was 76 when he died on Sept. 1, 2023. He wrote the song “Come Monday” about Jane in 1974, and they were married in 1977.
After Buffett’s death, when Jane asked Mozenter how much income she could expect to receive from the trust to continue paying her bills, Mozenter allegedly took more than a year to respond. In February 2025, he allegedly told her the trust’s $275 million in assets would generate less than $2 million in net income annually — a rate of return representing less than one percent. Mozenter purportedly told her the income would not cover her annual expenses and advised that she “consider adjustments” or sell her own real estate to make up the difference, her filings claim.
Meanwhile, Mozenter allegedly used trust assets to pay $1.7 million to himself and his firm last year, according to Jane’s filings. “Along the way, Mr. Mozenter has belittled, disrespected, and condescended to Mrs. Buffett in response to her reasonable requests for information she undoubtedly was entitled to receive,” her Monday filing states.
Jane alleges Mozenter rushed to court and filed his June 2 lawsuit after her lawyers first shared a courtesy copy of a petition she planned to file against him in Los Angeles County Superior Court. She alleges his lawsuit seeking to maintain authority over her wealth in violation of her express wishes “makes no sense” and “confirms that they cannot co-exist as co-trustees.”
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“Contrary to the instruction to give ‘primary regard’ to Mrs. Buffett’s best interests, Mr. Mozenter consistently has acted as if Mrs. Buffett is a nuisance whose interests are secondary to his authority,” the new filing states. Jane alleges Mozenter has been “openly hostile” toward her while “wasting marital trust assets by litigating in multiple forums.”
A hearing in Jane’s California lawsuit is currently set for Aug. 14 but likely will be taken off calendar if Jane dismisses the Los Angeles County action as promised in her new Florida filing.
