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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, November 15, 2008

Ho heirs dispute settlement

By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Don Ho

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More legal turmoil among the survivors of entertainer Don Ho surfaced in state court yesterday.

Attorneys for the trustees of Ho's estate filed legal papers to force Ho's longtime companion, Elizabeth Guevara, and two of his children, Dorianne and Donalei Ho, to comply with the terms of a settlement agreement that distributes assets among all of Ho's beneficiaries.

The three have "breached several terms of the settlement agreement" and have "caused harm to other beneficiaries of the trust," the motion alleged.

The trustees said a confidential arbitration session to iron out the problems has been scheduled for Nov. 25, 26 and 28, but Ho's daughters and Guevara have "ignored the upcoming arbitration."

The trustees are asking the court to compel the three to participate in the arbitration.

Don Ho died April 14, 2007, of congestive heart failure at the age of 76.

The settlement concerning distribution of his assets was reached earlier this year and was approved in June by Circuit Court Probate Judge Colleen Hirai. Terms of the settlement are confidential.

In July, Dorianne "Dori" Ho, one of the singer's six children by his first wife, Melva, asked Hirai to reconsider her approval of the trust agreement and appoint a "special master" to investigate allegations of fraud.

Dori Ho alleged that when Don Ho signed his trust agreement in September 2006, he was too impaired by medical problems to make informed decisions. Two days earlier, Ho "had flatlined" but was "brought back (to life) after several heart failures," Dori Ho said.

"It was impossible for him to sign any documents regarding his estate while he was incapacitated and experiencing death," Dori Ho said in a sworn affidavit dated June 27 and filed three days later at the state Bureau of Conveyances.

Attorney Crystal Rose, who represents trustees of Ho's estate, denied Dori Ho's allegations at the time.

Rose filed the motion yesterday seeking compulsory participation in the arbitration process.

Reach Jim Dooley at jdooley@honoluluadvertiser.com.