Here’s How Gene Hackman’s Children Could Still Claim His $80M Legacy Despite Being Omitted from His Will
Reports emerged recently revealing that Gene Hackman, the celebrated Oscar recipient, had excluded his three estranged children from his will before his passing. Now, various legal specialists are now outlining ways these children might still secure a share of his estimated $80 million estate by contesting Hackman’s will.
Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found lifeless in their Santa Fe residence last month. It later came to light that Hackman had funneled his wealth into a living trust, established long ago and most recently revised in 2005. The trust’s details remain under wraps. It’s likely that only a handful of individuals likely know who stands to inherit Hackman’s fortune. Trusts are often drafted with confidentiality in mind, and to keep family details out of the public.
While Hackman and Arakawa had no kids together, he fathered three from an earlier marriage. Though he deliberately left them out of his will, they might still be designated as trust beneficiaries. Alternatively, if other named heirs can’t accept the inheritance for any reason, there is the potential that estate could pass to them by default.
A New Mexico Court Ruling
A past New Mexico Supreme Court decision could prove useful if Hackman’s children aim to dispute the trust’s legitimacy. In the 2009 case Chapman v. Varela, the court held that estate documents could be invalidated if “questionable conditions” imply someone improperly swayed their creation via undue influence. If the children were to contest Hackman’s will or trust, this would could be a tactic they try.
Hackman was grappling with severe Alzheimer’s at the time of his death, though when the disease took hold remains uncertain. Should his children establish that the trust or will was finalized while he was mentally impaired, they could build a compelling argument.
The Circumstances of Their Deaths
Hackman and Arakawa were discovered deceased on February 26. Arakawa allegedly perished from Hantavirus, an uncommon rodent-transmitted illness, likely on February 12, as indicated by her final phone call. Authorities had initially pegged her death a day earlier until this evidence surfaced. Hackman lingered in the home with her body for days before dying of heart failure. His advanced Alzheimer’s likely left him unaware of her passing, officials suggest. Moving forward, we hope Hackman’s wealth finds its way to those he intended to provide for, honoring his last wishes.
