Politics Sparks Battle in Phyllis Schlafly’s Estate

Bitter dispute began with support for then Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Phyllis Schlafly’s support for Donald Trump for President mattered to her children as well as her estate, according to the Daily Mail in "Children of late conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly at war over their inheritance and have been fighting since she threw her support behind Donald Trump." Schlafly, who was once well-known as a powerful force in Republican politics, had a reputation for her fight against the Equal Rights Amendment and remained an important figure in Republican circles until her death in 2016. She endorsed Donald Trump for President during the 2016 primaries. Schlafly's endorsement of Trump created a rift between her sons who supported the decision and her daughter who opposed it. The daughter claims that the decision was influenced by Republican political operative Ed Martin. Since Schlafly passed away, Martin has been creating political action committees in her name to support Trump and the daughter has attempted to stop him. She also claims that Martin and her brothers unduly influenced their mother to change her will in their favor and to make it more difficult for the daughter to challenge the will. Reference: Daily Mail (March 23, 2017) "Children of late conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly at war over their inheritance and have been fighting since she threw her support behind Donald Trump."