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Court gesture Siblings in Williams' dispute withdraw move for mediationPosted: Tuesday July 23, 2002 5:03 PMUpdated: Tuesday July 23, 2002 9:03 PM
MIAMI (CNN) -- The son and a daughter of baseball great Ted Williams have withdrawn a request that the dispute over what to do with the player's remains be settled by mediation. In court papers filed Tuesday, John Henry Williams and Claudia Williams withdrew a motion for mandatory mediation of the action, saying that their sister, Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell, and her attorney "have made it abundantly clear to us this past weekend and today that Mrs. Ferrell has no intention of making any good faith effort to reach a private understanding. "We do not want to waste this court's time or our own time and money on a one-sided effort to resolve this matter privately. To be sure, with this court's help, we can lead Mrs. Ferrell to the 'river of reason,' but we can't make her drink." The motions were filed in the probate division of the Citrus County Circuit Court, which has been handling the controversy over Williams' remains. Both John Henry and Claudia Williams say their father wanted his body to be frozen after he died, but Ferrell -- Williams' daughter from his first marriage who was excluded from any inheritance in his will -- has said her father wanted to be cremated. In fact, Williams' will, written in 1996, states the one-time Boston Red Sox slugger wanted his body cremated. But executor Albert Cassidy said Williams later changed his mind and agreed to have his body preserved. Also Tuesday, the two siblings asked the judge to enjoin Ferrell from harassing and intimidating witnesses. Included was an affidavit from Eric Abel, one of Ted Williams' friends and lawyers who sometimes represented John-Henry Williams. Abel said Ferrell left a phone message at his home in which she refers to a statement she says Abel made to the media about her. She expresses amazement that he would say such a thing. "Prepare thyself, sir," Ferrell said, according to Abel's affidavit. "Mrs. Ferrell is aware of this witness' personal knowledge regarding Ted Williams' disdain for her. The witness can further support the fact that over the last five years of his life, Mr. Williams would have never shared his personal wishes about the disposition of his body with Mrs. Ferrell," the motion says. The motion contends that Ferrell "appears to be waging a war against anyone who might dare speak against her." A hearing on the motion was set for July 30. |
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