Hartford, Conn. — A Connecticut judge has effectively resolved a contentious legal battle involving the estate of the late blues icon Johnny Winter. The ruling requires his former managers to pay $226,000 for improper withdrawals after Winter’s death in 2014, while also denying their claims to rights over his music.
The estate dispute erupted in 2020 when relatives of Winter’s deceased wife, Susan, filed a lawsuit against Winter’s manager, Paul Nelson, and his spouse, Marion Nelson. The relatives alleged that the Nelsons had improperly siphoned over $1 million from Winter’s music revenues. In response, the Nelsons filed a countersuit, claiming that they were unjustly removed from inheriting Winter’s estate and asserting their ownership over his musical works.
Following a weeklong trial in January 2024, Judge Charles Lee concluded Friday that the Nelsons had engaged in improper financial practices, including withdrawing $112,000 from Winter’s business account and transferring it to their accounts without including Susan Winter as a signatory. At the time of his death, Susan Winter controlled approximately $3 million in assets belonging to Johnny Winter. The judge noted that punitive damages might be forthcoming due to this significant financial misstep.
Judge Lee emphasized that while the Nelsons’ actions were negligent, they did not amount to fraud or breach of contract. In his 54-page ruling, he stated that some of the defendants’ conduct could be seen as legitimately questionable but did not rise to more severe legal violations.
Paul Nelson, who managed Johnny Winter from 2005 until 2019 and was part of his band, passed away from a heart attack in March 2024 while on tour. Marion Nelson, who managed the bookkeeping for the Winter estate, has not yet publicly commented on the ruling, and the couple’s legal team has not responded to inquiries regarding any potential appeal.
Susan Winter passed away from lung cancer in October 2019. Just before her death, she changed the successor trustee of her family trust, which incorporated all of her late husband’s assets, designating her sister and brother, Bonnie and Christopher Warford, in this capacity. The Warfords subsequently initiated the lawsuit against the Nelsons.
The Nelsons allege that the Warfords exploited Susan Winter’s condition, suggesting that the legal documents were signed while she was under medication near the end of her life. However, the Warfords refuted these claims, insisting they were made in bad faith.
In the recent ruling, the judge granted the Warfords compensation for improper payments received by the Nelsons, which included $68,000 in royalties from a 2016 auction and an assortment of other withdrawals and reimbursements totaling roughly $151,000. Additional damages were awarded for funds remaining in an account linked to the contested $112,000 transfer.
The judge also dismissed claims from the Warfords arguing that Paul Nelson had no right to $300,000 he received from the sale of three of Winter’s guitars, which Winter had allegedly promised to Nelson.
Born in Beaumont, Texas, Johnny Winter dazzled audiences in the 1960s with his virtuoso guitar skills and distinctive long, white hair. He gained prominence as a musician, performing at festivals such as Woodstock and earning a spot in the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1988. Winter released over 20 albums and garnered multiple Grammy nominations during his career, winning a Grammy for Best Blues Album posthumously in 2015 for “Step Back,” produced by Nelson.
The complexities of Winter’s legacy and the legal disputes surrounding it highlight the often turbulent intersections of fame, finance, and family.
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