One year after the passing of iconic foundation reggae singer Bunny Wailer, his estate remains in jeopardy. According to reports, the executors of the estate of Neville ‘Bunny Wailer’ Livingston will now be heading to court to contest the trust of the legendary singer.
Today, March 2, marks the first anniversary of his passing, and news has emerged that his estate faces several challenges. His son Abijah was named one of the official executors of his estate, while his older brother, Carl Livingston, also shares some of the responsibilities.
Problems began to arise shortly after Bunny Wailer’s death. At that time last year, the 73-year-old could not be laid to rest due to unpaid hospital fees, which were quoted at over JM$5 million. The situation led to some confusion among his relatives, but his children later confirmed that they paid off the debt and obtained the singer’s death certificate.
Around that time, they also confirmed that all legal correspondence would be handled by ASV Law, which was the firm chosen to act on their behalf of the Livingston Estate Trust. Wailer’s children also condemned “the confusion caused by third-party interference in our affairs.”
Fast forward to a year later, and Abijah revealed to the Jamaica Gleaner that he and his siblings still have questions about the trust document which was presented following his father’s death. According to him, there was an attempt to evict his teen sister from the Darley Crescent residence. The residence is well known to have been the home to Bunny Wailer and some of his children.
Due to this hostile development, Abijah and his sisters have decided to challenge the document being presented to them that is claimed as their father’s trust. He added that they found the document itself to be questionable and contradictory. Abijah revealed that the even circumstances surrounding the whereabouts of the original document are troubling.
“Today [name omitted] were trying to remove our youngest sister, who is a minor, and her mother from our family home at 10 Darley Crescent,” he added.
In another interview with the Gleaner, the other executor of the will Abijah’s uncle, Carl Livingston, confirmed that legal issues need to be addressed. He also confirmed that they would be going to court and that it had to do with issues surrounding the will.
According to court records, last August, an affidavit was filed in the Probate Section of the Supreme Court. That filing shows that Abijah Livingston seeks to have Carl Livingston removed as co-executor.
While it hasn’t been confirmed, there seems to be some infighting between the two as Livingston said that nobody is supposed to be living at Wailer’s former home since the residence had no water and was uninhabitable. However, he did not confirm an attempt to kick anyone out.
The property in question has housed the Bunny Wailer Museum since 2017, and it was opened to celebrate Bunny Wailer’s 70th birthday. It is truly a trying time for the children of Wailer who continue to search for their matriarch and Wailer’s partner of over five decades, Jean ‘Sis Jean’ Watt, who has been missing since May 23, 2020.
