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Executors of the estate of the late Sen. John Heinz have withdrawn their appeal of a judge's ruling that opens the will to public inspection. Common Pleas Judge Frank J. Lucchino, in an order this month, granted petitions filed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Tribune-Review Publishing Co. to modify an order that sealed the documents more than a decade ago. The estate documents, by court order without a public hearing, were impounded in Orphans' Court on April 5, 1991, a day after Heinz and six others were killed in a midair collision over suburban Philadelphia. The Los Angeles Times...

Judge unseals some Heinz records Associated Press PITTSBURGH – The public can see some records regarding the estate of the late Sen. H. John Heinz III, but others will remain sealed to protect the privacy and security of his widow, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and her family, a judge ruled. Attorneys for the Heinz estate had fought the efforts of two newspapers – the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – to unseal the estate documents. The newspapers argued the records could shed light on Heinz Kerry's charitable activities and whether she used some of her inheritance to help the White...

Judge Rules in Favor of Two Pittsburgh Papers, Opening Heinz Records Published: March 09, 2005 12:40 PM ET PITTSBURGH (AP) The public can see some records regarding the estate of the late Sen. H. John Heinz III, but others will remain sealed to protect the privacy and security of his widow, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and her family, a judge ruled. Attorneys for the Heinz estate had fought the efforts of two newspapers — the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — to unseal the estate documents. The newspapers argued the records could shed light on Heinz Kerry's charitable activities and...

NORRISTOWN, Pa. -- A judge on Friday ordered the unsealing of court records in a 1994 lawsuit by Teresa Heinz Kerry and her sons in the airplane crash that killed her first husband, U.S. Sen. H. John Heinz III. The judge ruled that nearly all documents related to the case should be made public by Monday. Some records involving confidential materials, probably including details of the multimillionaire ketchup heir's holdings, would remain sealed. Attorneys for the Heinz family and estate appealed, and the state Supreme Court granted Heinz Kerry's attorneys a stay that would keep the file closed until the...

An attorney for the estate of the late U.S. Sen. H. John Heinz III argued that too much time has passed for news organizations to try to unseal records that were sealed the day after his death in 1991. Heinz - the husband of Teresa Heinz Kerry, who is now married to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry - died in a plane crash near Philadelphia. His estate calls a petition by newspapers a belated effort to "rummage through" the estate, which was finalized in 1998. At a hearing Thursday, estate attorney Gregory B. Jordan argued that the case should be...

Saturday, August 21, 2004 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette filed a petition yesterday to join two other newspapers that are seeking to open the will of the late U.S. Sen. H. John Heinz III.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette filed a petition yesterday to join two other newspapers that are seeking to open the will of the late U.S. Sen. H. John Heinz III. The record was impounded April 5, 1991, the day after Heinz and seven other people were killed in an airplane crash near Harrisburg. The Los Angeles Times and The Morning Call of Allentown earlier petitioned the Allegheny County courts to unseal the records. Lawyers for the initial petitioners, who filed suit in Orphan's Court in July, argue that the managers of Heinz's estate had no right or reason to seal the records....

Judge to hear why newspapers denied access to Heinz's will Thursday, August 19, 2004 By Jim McKinnon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A judge has scheduled a hearing at which the executors of the estate of the late Sen. H. John Heinz III must show cause for keeping the will sealed. In an order Monday, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Frank J. Lucchino scheduled the hearing for Sept. 14. Two newspapers, The Los Angeles Times and The Morning Call of Allentown, have petitioned Allegheny County courts to unseal Heinz's last will and testament. "There is no indication in the file that this estate...

Two newspapers want a judge to unseal the estate records of the late Sen. H. John Heinz III, contending the documents possibly could shed light on Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign. The Morning Call of Allentown and the Los Angeles Times petitioned Allegheny County Court to make the records public. Common Pleas Administrative Judge Frank Lucchino has scheduled a Sept. 14 hearing on the request. The day after (PA Senator) John Heinz died, Common Pleas Judge Nathan Schwartz ordered that all documents in the senator's estate be shielded from public view. The court edict did not reveal why the...