Hollywood actor Gene Hackman’s will was filed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the documents revealing the actor left his $80million fortune to his wife Betsy Arakawa
The contents of Gene Hackman’s staggering will have been disclosed, potentially setting the stage for a contentious legal dispute.
Last month, Gene and his wife Betsy Arakawa were tragically discovered dead in their New Mexico residence, along with one of their dogs.
The peculiar circumstances prompted an investigation as officials sought to determine what had befallen the Hollywood legend. It was confirmed that the couple passed away nearly a week apart, with Gene possibly unaware of his wife’s death due to his Alzheimer’s.
Official findings revealed that Betsy, 65, succumbed to a rare virus transmitted by rats around February 11. Gene, on the other hand, is believed to have died from heart disease on February 18.
Betsy was found on the bathroom floor near a space heater, surrounded by thyroid medication pills. Gene, 95, was discovered deceased in a room near his kitchen after an apparent fall.
One of their dogs, Zinna, was found dead in a crate, while their German Shepherd named Bear and another dog, Nikita, were found roaming their 12-acre property. Although Gene and Betsy did not have children together, the actor has three children – son Christopher Allen, 65, and daughters Leslie Anne, 58, and Elizabeth Jean, 62 – from his previous marriage to Faye Maltese, reports the Mirror.
In a shocking twist following their untimely passing, Gene’s eye-watering $80 million fortune has been bequeathed entirely to his beloved wife Betsy. As successor trustee of his trust, Betsy’s inheritance seems certain, while it’s still up in the air if his children have been left anything at all, sparking fears of a legal showdown over the massive wealth.
“If he died first and she [Betsy] had survived, it would’ve been World War III,” a legal eagle spilled the beans to Daily Mail. “His kids would’ve probably gone crazy.”
In a turn of events, Betsy already had her will set out to pass her riches onto a trust for charity purposes and clearing medical bills.
The latest version of Gene’s will was penned on June 7, 2005, with no indication of when the Alzheimer’s diagnosis came to light. Adding another layer of drama, another attorney reckons the ongoing probe into the couple’s demises might stir up more trouble for any cash meant for Gene’s offspring.
According to New Mexico’s rules, if the pair had checked out within 120 hours of one another, it would’ve been a case of ‘same time’ expiry, possibly mixing up who gets what from the estate. But since Gene’s ticker – his pacemaker, that is – kept on ticking for days after, this particular law likely won’t mess with the original plans for his stash.
Kevin Holmes, from Holmes Law Firm, dropped some serious legal knowledge on Mail Online, explaining how the cogs turn in inheritance cases. He said: “In a lot of states, including New Mexico, there’s a kind of presumptive triggering deadline of five days before you’re considered having survived under the terms of most wills.”
Holmes also noted that it’s very possible for wills or trusts to outline their own rules for what happens if death occurs at the same time, which could differ from New Mexico’s standard 120-hour rule.
Meanwhile, John Budagher, legal eagle at Budagher and Tann, pointed out that the date when any will or trust was signed is a major game-changer. He flagged up that recent updates might raise eyebrows given Hackman’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, musing: “If it’s more recent, that doesn’t mean it’s invalid,” he remarked.
“It just means it’s riper for a potential challenge – especially if it’s doing something like leaving everything to a caretaker.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
