Few famous fathers have been argued over quite like Robert Kardashian, and much of that argument now plays out on television. He sat beside O.J. Simpson throughout the 1995 trial, according to Wikipedia (open encyclopedia), and he died on , according to Legit.ng (celebrity news aggregator), while the inheritance fight, the 2013 diary lawsuit and unconfirmed family claims each carry their own source.
Died: (Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator) · Cause of death: Esophageal cancer (Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator) · Children: Four (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia) · Married: Kris Houghton, (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia)
Quick snapshot
- Robert Kardashian married Kris Houghton on July 8, 1978, and the couple had four children (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia) (TV Insider (television news site))
- His will left the Indian Wells, California house and its furnishings to Ellen Pierson (TV Insider (television news site))
- The copyright suit sought at least $500,000 in damages (Courthouse News Service (court news service))
- The wedding to Ellen Pierson took place on July 27, 2003, or in August 2003 (Radar Online (celebrity news site))
- Whether a 2015 ruling ended Ellen’s defamation suit, according to Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator (Radar Online (celebrity news site))
- Whether a deathbed marriage occurred, a claim made by Hola (celebrity news site)
- The Kardashian siblings and Kris Jenner filed suit on , according to PRWeb (press release distributor)
- Ellen Pierson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010 (Courthouse News Service, court news service) (PRWeb (press release distributor))
- The copyright suit settled in April 2014, and the diaries and photos were returned (E! News via Yahoo UK (entertainment news))
- Ellen’s state defamation action was set to continue after the settlement (E! News via Yahoo UK, entertainment news)
- Settlement terms beyond the returned diaries remain confidential (E! News via Yahoo UK, entertainment news)
Six rows, one pattern: every date here rests on a filing or a press report rather than a court docket, so each row carries its own source.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Died | (Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator) |
| Cause of death | Esophageal cancer (Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator) |
| Children | Four (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia) |
| Married Kris Houghton | (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia) |
| Role in 1995 trial | Member of O.J. Simpson’s defense team (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia) |
| Married Ellen Pierson | 2003, roughly six weeks before his death; the exact date is disputed (TV Insider, television news site) |
How good of a lawyer was Robert Kardashian?
No source reviewed for this piece ranks his legal skill, so the answer rests on the role he played and what the reporting says about it.
What role did Robert Kardashian play in the OJ Simpson trial?
- Member of O.J. Simpson’s defense team (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia)
- Sat beside Simpson throughout the 1995 trial (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia)
- No ranking of his legal skill appears in the reporting reviewed for this piece
Sitting beside the defendant placed him at the center of the case, but the reporting does not say what advice he gave or how much weight his arguments carried in court.
A seat at the defense table proves access to the case, not a measured record of skill. The 1995 role is the strongest documented fact about his legal career, and it is still only a role (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia).
The implication: his legal reputation rests on one famous case, and the sources document that case without grading his talent.
Who did Robert Kardashian leave his inheritance to?
Robert’s will left his children “all tangible and intangible personal property,” with one exception: the Indian Wells, California house and its furnishings went to Ellen Pierson (TV Insider, television news site). The will text itself was not among the documents reviewed, so these terms come from secondary reporting.
What happened to Robert Kardashian Sr.’s inheritance?
- The Kardashians conceded that Ellen received the house and furnishings, but argued his personal belongings belonged to the children (Courthouse News Service, court news service)
- Ellen Pierson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010, and the Kardashians argued she failed to disclose the diary and photos (Courthouse News Service, court news service)
- The Kardashian siblings and Kris Jenner filed suit on , in the Central District of California under Case No. CV13-02406 (PRWeb, press release distributor)
The suit asked for at least $500,000 in damages for conversion and copyright infringement, and it demanded the return of property held in constructive trust (Courthouse News Service, court news service). That makes the case a property fight as much as a family one.
Who was Robert Kardashian’s wife?
- Kris Houghton, married on ; the couple had four children (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia)
- Ellen Pierson, married in 2003, roughly six weeks before he died (TV Insider, television news site)
Two wedding dates circulate for the Pierson marriage, and each comes from a different account. Radar Online reports the July 27, 2003 date as cited in Ellen’s court papers, while another report gives August 2003 (Radar Online, celebrity news site).
The Kardashian siblings and Kris Jenner sued Ellen Pierson over the diary and photos, and the 2014 settlement returned them. Ellen’s state defamation action continued, so the property fight closed while the personal dispute stayed open.
The pattern: the will’s terms are specific enough to start a fight, yet the dispute turns on property and paperwork that the reporting does not resolve.
Why did Kris Jenner leave Robert?
The reporting gathered here does not explain why Robert’s marriage to Kris Jenner ended. Wikipedia records the couple’s marriage and their four children, but no source reviewed gives a separation date, a divorce date, or a stated reason (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia).
Who were Robert Kardashian’s children?
- Four children in total (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia)
- The reporting gathered here names Kim, Khloé, Kourtney and Rob as the children who sued Ellen Pierson, but no retrieved court record confirms that list
The family’s own television account carries a stake in this story. Khloé’s podcast remarks are one such account, so treat claims about estranged relatives as one side’s version until a dated, attributed report confirms them (Hola, celebrity news site).
The trade-off: naming the children gives readers a clear cast, but the sources do not yet show what each child received beyond the house and the copyright fight.
How did Robert Kardashian die?
Robert Kardashian died of esophageal cancer on , according to Legit.ng (celebrity news aggregator). The reporting gathered here includes no dated diagnosis, so this article does not state when the cancer was found.
Who married Robert Kardashian on his death bed?
- Ellen Pierson married Robert in 2003, roughly six weeks before he died (TV Insider, television news site)
- Khloé Kardashian said on her podcast that a woman married her father “weeks on his deathbed” (Hola, celebrity news site)
- Ellen’s court filings say the children attended the 2003 wedding and approved of the marriage (Radar Online, celebrity news site)
A judge allowed Ellen to pursue defamation claims based on on-show statements, including the claim that she married Robert on his deathbed (TV Insider, television news site). No confirmed record in the sources reviewed settles whether a deathbed marriage took place.
The deathbed phrase now sits inside a defamation dispute. Repeating it without attribution treats a contested claim as settled fact (Hola, celebrity news site).
The catch: the death is documented, while the deathbed story is a claim about timing and motive that no source reviewed confirms.
Who is Rob Kardashian?
Robert had four children, and the reporting gathered here names Rob as one of them (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia, confirms the count). The reporting gathered here offers no sourced birth date, career summary, or current status for him, so this profile stays limited to the family record.
For the related legal fight that also involves Rob Kardashian, see Blac Chyna lawsuit facts and Rob Kardashian.
Do the Kardashians still speak to Rob Kardashian?
- The sources reviewed do not confirm current contact between Rob and his siblings
- Khloé’s December 2025 podcast remarks focused on Ellen Pierson (Hola, celebrity news site)
- Any claim about present contact needs a dated report from an established outlet before it runs
The implication: the question of family contact stays open, and any claim of a rift or a reunion should be labeled as unconfirmed.
Confirmed facts and open questions
Confirmed items carry a dated, named source. The open list runs longer because the dispute depends on claims about motive, paternity and estate terms that the reporting leaves unsettled.
Confirmed facts
- Robert Kardashian married Kris Houghton on July 8, 1978, and the couple had four children (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia)
- The copyright suit sought at least $500,000 in damages (Courthouse News Service, court news service)
- Ellen Pierson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010 (Courthouse News Service, court news service)
- The copyright suit settled in April 2014, and the diaries and photos were returned (E! News via Yahoo UK, entertainment news)
What’s unclear
- The wedding date to Ellen Pierson, given as July 27, 2003 or August 2003 (Radar Online, celebrity news site)
- Whether a 2015 ruling ended Ellen’s defamation suit, according to Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator
- Confidential settlement terms beyond the return of the diaries (E! News via Yahoo UK, entertainment news)
- Whether a deathbed marriage occurred, as Khloé Kardashian claimed (Hola, celebrity news site)
- Ellen’s 2012 claim that Khloé was not Robert’s biological daughter, according to Tuko (celebrity news site)
- A net worth of about $5 million at death, according to Tooper Magazine (celebrity magazine)
The pattern: the confirmed column lists filings and dates, while the open column lists motives, paternity claims and family statements.
Timeline of key dates
- : Sits beside O.J. Simpson throughout the trial (Wikipedia, open encyclopedia)
- or August 2003: Wedding to Ellen Pierson; the date is disputed (Radar Online, celebrity news site)
- : Dies of esophageal cancer, according to Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator
- 2010: Ellen Pierson files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (Courthouse News Service, court news service)
- : The Kardashian siblings and Kris Jenner file suit in the Central District of California (PRWeb, press release distributor)
- 2013: Ellen files a state defamation suit against Kris Jenner and the children, according to Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator
- : The copyright suit settles, and the diaries and photos are returned (E! News via Yahoo UK, entertainment news)
- 2015: A reported ruling in the defamation case conflicts with the 2014 timing, according to Legit.ng, celebrity news aggregator
- : Khloé’s podcast remarks about Ellen Pierson (Hola, celebrity news site)
The pattern: the dated events cluster around two moments, the 2003 marriage and the 2013 suit, and most later dates come from secondary reporting.
What the people involved have said
Two named speakers are quoted directly, and a third is paraphrased. Eric Spiegel, an attorney on the Kardashian side, and Khloé Kardashian, speaking on her podcast, are quoted below.
Marty Singer, attorney for the Kardashians, said they would vigorously defend their rights over the property, according to TV Guide (entertainment magazine).
“The diaries and photos have been returned to the Kardashians, and all other terms of the settlement are confidential. Ellen will continue her state court action for defamation.”
Eric Spiegel, attorney on the Kardashian side, as reported by E! News via Yahoo UK (entertainment news)
“When my dad died, a woman married him weeks on his deathbed and took everything from us, so I don’t have anything of my dad’s. Long story.”
Khloé Kardashian, on her podcast, as reported by Hola (celebrity news site)
What this means: the attorneys’ language is about legal rights, while Khloé’s is about loss, and the documented record supports the first far more than the second.
The documented record is strongest where it is least dramatic: the will’s broad terms (TV Insider, television news site), a 2010 bankruptcy filing (Courthouse News Service, court news service), and a 2014 settlement that returned the diaries (E! News via Yahoo UK, entertainment news). The contested material, including the deathbed marriage, the reasons behind the split from Kris Jenner, and the status of Ellen’s defamation case, rests on accounts from people with a stake in the outcome. For anyone repeating the deathbed claim, the choice is clear: cite a dated filing or report, or label it as one family’s account.
Related reading: Blac Chyna lawsuit facts and Rob Kardashian
Frequently asked questions
What type of cancer did Robert Kardashian have?
Esophageal cancer, according to Legit.ng (celebrity news aggregator).
What was Robert Kardashian’s net worth?
The only figure in the sources is an estimate of about $5 million at death, according to Tooper Magazine (celebrity magazine). No primary financial record was found to confirm it.
What is known about Robert Kardashian’s diary?
The Kardashian siblings and Kris Jenner sued in April 2013 over a diary and family photos, according to PRWeb (press release distributor). Ellen Pierson had licensed diary excerpts and photos to Bauer Publishing, publisher of In Touch and Life & Style, according to Business Insider (business news outlet). The diaries were returned under the 2014 settlement (E! News via Yahoo UK, entertainment news).
What was Robert Kardashian’s ethnicity?
None of the sources reviewed for this article address his ethnicity, so no answer is given here.
Did Robert Kardashian have other children?
Reports in 2016 of alleged additional love children were tabloid claims and were not verified, according to News.com.au (news outlet citing The Sun).
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Edward Davies Bennett is Editor-in-Chief and Responsible Publisher at Insight Britain, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and the corrections process.