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Judge assigns lawyer to oversee Johnny Canales' estate in case where woman claims to be his legal wife

3NEWS attended the hearing Wednesday afternoon in Judge Deanne Galvan's courtroom.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — An attorney was assigned to represent the estate of the late talk show host and singer Juan Jose "Johnny" Canales during a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

The hearing was held after a woman named Sylvia Ann Castillo filed a motion Oct. 31 alleging she is Canales' only surviving spouse and rightful heir and ask the court to file a temporary injunction and order an accounting of Canales' estate.

In the motion, she states that she and Canales were married in 1980 and that the marriage was never legally terminated by divorce or annulment.

"Nora Canales was married to Johnny Canales for 30 years and nobody came forward," Nora Canales' lawyer Abel Cavada said Wednesday after the hearing. "Sylvia Castillo didn't come forward and say, 'Wait a minute. I'm married to him. You can't do that.' She's been here over the years and she could have brought it up at some point in the last 30 years and she didn't, so that, that could very well, dismiss her claim."

Castillo's attorney Steve Lopez was unavailable to give 3NEWS an interview when contacted earlier Wednesday.

In the court filing, Castillo states that because she and Canales never divorced, she is entitled to inherit from him as his wife. However, Cavada said Castillo has has three marriages since her 1980 marriage to Canales. 

"So how can you be married and then remarrying several times?" he said.

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