LOS ANGELES—Jimmy Flynt, the younger brother of Hustler founder and publishing magnate Larry Flynt, has dropped his lawsuit telling a federal court that he’s owed half of his sibling’s revocable trust. According to reports, Flynt’s trust was formed over 30 years ago before the two brothers' relationship fell apart in 2009, which led to Jimmy settling in Kentucky. He filed his lawsuit last year seeking to strip Elizabeth Flynt, the main beneficiary of Larry Flynt’s trust, of half of the Hustler enterprise and other assets.
Elizabeth (Liz) is Larry Flynt’s fifth wife and is now running much of her late spouse’s business after he passed away in 2021. A federal judge dismissed Jimmy Flynt’s case with prejudice, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. This means that the judge in the case ruled that the matter is resolved and not subject to appeal. The legal counsel representing Elizabeth Flynt, Whitney Z. Bernstein, said that Jimmy Flynt was paid nothing in a settlement as the case was dismissed. Bernstein, a partner at Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP, is characterized on her law firm’s official webpage as “an aggressive litigator and accomplished trial attorney.” In a statement, Bernstein called the court's dismissmal of Jimmy’s petition a “complete vicotry” and a “vindication” for Liz.
“Jimmy Flynt and his team recognized that they had no choice but to surrender and dismiss their claims with prejudice without receiving a single penny,” Bernstein said. “My client is glad to be able to put this frivolous lawsuit behind her and to remain squarely focused on the future of her company and honoring Larry Flynt’s legacy."
AVN.com reported last year that Jimmy Flynt’s claim argued he'd had a “central role” in helping prop up Hustler as a company. This included his reported help in procuring a nude photo of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1975 that turned Hustler into a national and controversial brand overnight. The initial filing reads that without Jimmy Flynt, “Hustler magazine would not have been successful.”
Jimmy Flynt was told by his brother that he would be named a beneficiary of the trust. He first attempted to ask for half of Larry’s holdings in a lawsuit in 2009. That suit led a federal judge in 2011 to side with Larry, granting him full ownership of the company and ruling that no partnership was present nor existed between the two brothers. The enterprise includes Flynt’s strip clubs, casinos, retail brands, publishing enterprises and many other assets.
Photo of Jimmy Flynt at the 2005 AVN Awards (inset) by Jimmy Flynt / Wikimedia Commons
