SISTER Wives star Meri Brown was left with nothing from her late mother’s estate, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.
Meri’s mom, Bonnie Joyce Barber, passed away unexpectedly on March 26, 2021, at the age of 76 years.
Bonnie was survived by her children: Meri, Adam Barber, Elaine Jenson, Rebekah Dilts, and Deborah Bronson.
Adam, however, passed away on October 5, 2023, following a 10-month fight with pancreatic cancer.
Bonnie also had another son, Marc William Barber, but he sadly passed away in March 2015 at 47 years old.
Prior to Adam’s recent death, Meri had secretly filed a petition for determination of heirs and appointment of a personal representative in April 2021 for her late mom’s estate after she had learned Bonnie did not leave behind a will.
In the court docs, exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun, the 53-year-old estimated that her mom’s estate was worth $50,000.
Without going into detail, Meri claimed that her “best estimate of the value of the property” owned by Bonnie was $50K.
In August 2021, the judge formally appointed the Sister Wives star as the personal representative for the estate.
LEFT WITH NOTHING
The total assets determined in the initial accounting was $17,685.72.
This consisted of Bonnie’s checking and savings account, plus the value of her car.
However, the debts and liabilities exceeded this amount, totaling $21,644.58.
This included a car loan, funeral and burial expenses, and a probate court filing fee.
It is not clear if the assets were used to pay the debts and liabilities, although it can only be assumed they were.
So ultimately, the total wealth left in Bonnie’s estate in the end was found to be “insolvent.”
A court ruling dated October 5, 2021, stated: “Meri Caroline Brown, by and through her attorney, Brandon Merrill of Utah Homicide Survivors do hereby state that after gathering the assets of the Estate of Bonnie Joyce Barber, it has been determined insolvent.”
LESSONS FROM LAWYER
Abbey Farnsworth, a Utah-based lawyer, who specializes in estate planning and probate spoke to The U.S. Sun about Meri’s case.
Without knowing Meri’s real reason for filing this – if she was thinking she was getting part of the assumed $50K wealth or not – she shared: “I can’t speak to her intentions, but by filing to be appointed as personal representative, just seeking that appointment doesn’t entitle you to any portion of the decedent’s estate.
“It actually requires you to take responsibility for settling and distributing the estate to the heirs in accordance with the laws for in intestate succession that apply.”
Abbey also clarified what the term “insolvent” means since that was the ultimate ruling of the estate.
“Just saying insolvent means all of these debts and all the things that are owed is more than the money that’s available.
“So the debts and liabilities exceed the total value of what was in her bank account or the total value of the assets that the decedent had when she died,” she explained.
When asked if, now that Meri is the personal rep, if more money can be coming in, Abbey said only if there is a certain asset that she wasn’t aware of that existed, but it’s “unlikely any more money would be coming in, especially given the time that’s passed at this point.”
Overall, Abbey said that this case is “very straightforward” and “there’s almost nothing unusual about it,” including there being any nasty battles between Meri and her siblings.
MERI’S MONEY
Meri appears well off without earning a dime from her late mother’s estate.
Other than appearing on Sister Wives, Meri is known for being an ambassador and seller for the clothing brand LuLaRoe since 2016.
She also owns and operates her bed and breakfast, Lizzie’s Heritage Inn, in Parowan, Utah, which she opened for guests in 2017.
She officially moved there last year, as reported by The U.S. Sun, after separating from her ex Kody Brown, and becoming estranged from her sister wives Robyn, Janelle, Christine Brown.
In May 2022, she filed paperwork for a new business, Meri Brown Communications LLC, although it is unclear what she is doing with the media company at this time.
Most recently, during a trip to New York City, she informed fans that she has new projects in the works, but did not go into details.
In an Instagram post, she said: “Leveling up my life and business is something I’m taking a very active role in.”
She is now focused on her relationship with her boyfriend Amos Andrews, who reportedly has had money issues in the past.
