$14 Million Dispute

The Michigan Supreme Court is deciding what to do with $14 million, willed to a friend. As reported by the Detroit Free Press, Robert Mardigian passed away in 2012, he left the bulk of his $17 million fortune to his attorney and friend, Troy attorney Mark Papazian. The will is being challenged by Mardigian’s relatives, who received nothing. According to Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct, attorneys “shall not” prepare a will for a non-related client that includes a substantial gift for the attorney. It’s not the first time that lawyer, Papazian has appeared before the Court of Appeals, in a fight over an estate. In 2007, judges ruled against Papazian, and in favor of his father and sister in a dispute over control of his father’s estate and the Hunter House restaurant in Birmingham.