Lamar Odom, the former NBA star, was rushed to a hospital Tuesday October 13, 2015 after he was found unconscious in Nevada and was reportedly in serious condition after possibly suffering a stroke. He was in a coma for several days, and has since woken up and has begun speaking full sentences.
Khloé Kardashian, Lamar’s estranged wife, arrived at the hospital just hours after he was admitted. There came a revelation while Lamar was in a coma under critical condition that several medical decisions needed to be made on his behalf, and that Khloe would be the one do to so.
Khloe first filed for divorce in December 2013, and although Lamar finally signed the documents in July 2015, a judgment was never entered into court and thus their divorce was never finalized. That means the two of them remain legally married and, Khloe is in charge of making all medical decisions for Lamar.
Lamar also never signed a living will, which would help to dictate the medical decisions for Lamar while he was in his coma under critical condition. Because he never executed a living will, his wife, as his “next of kin,” was able to do so on his behalf.
Another legal consideration is whether or not Lamar ever wrote a dying will to dictate what is to happen to his estate should he pass away. If he does not have a dying will, his estate, meaning his assets, money and debts, would go to his next of kin. Next of kin is determined by the first person alive to receive his estate in the following order: first his wife, then his children, and then his parents. Since Khloe is still legally his wife, she would likely inherit his millions. If the courts were to expedite the judge’s entering of their divorce judgment, then his estate, upon his possible death, would likely go to his parents since he would not longer have a wife, and he does not have any children. If he does in fact have a will, then his estate would be distributed in the manner specified in his will.