© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Rauschenberg Lawsuit Moves Closer to Trial

Topher Forhecz

Lawyers in the battle between the trustees of artist Robert Rauschenberg’s estate, and his family and foundation met for a hearing at the Lee County Courthouse on Monday.

They discussed the finer details of the case as it moves closer to an expected trial date this summer.

The three trustees want $60 million as compensation for overseeing his estate. But the family and foundation say the amount is unreasonable.

At the hearing,  Judge Jay Rosman stressed he wants the trial to move efficiently. He told both lawyers the time to bring the case to court has come.

“I have the time ready to go in June. If this case is continued, we’re probably looking at some time in the fall,” he said. “I really don’t want to do that. Every case has a life where it needs to be resolved and this case with all due respect is at that point.”

Pop artist Bob Rauschenberg died in 2008 after living and working on Captiva. 

Topher is a reporter at WGCU News.
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The justices on Monday turned away an appeal from a former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling. Clerk Kim Davis had been trying to get the justices to overturn a lower-court order that she pay $360,000 in damages and attorney's fees. Justice Clarence Thomas has urged his colleagues to overturn the Supreme Court's marriage decision, much as they did in 2022 when the high court overturned the right to abortion.
  • Temperatures will be about 20 degrees below average for this time of year, and the wind will make it feel even colder! How long will it last?
  • Gray Catbirds are in a bird family known as the “Mimidae” – because they mimic other birds, other animals, and even mechanical sounds. Other members of their family in Florida include the Brown Thrasher and the Northern Mockingbird – two excellent mimics that we often see and hear year-round as they feed, sing, and nest in relatively open vegetation. They often mimic the vocalizations of other bird species and it has been suggested that their mimicry may send the message that the area is crowded – and cause other birds to search for food elsewhere.