Anne Heche's Son Wins Big In Brutal Battle Over Her Estate
Anne Heche's fans and peers were shocked to learn of her tragic death, which occurred in early August. According to TMZ, the actor was involved in two car crashes on August 5, the second of which occurred when she ran into a California home, sparking a massive fire. It took over 45 minutes before emergency respondents were able to rescue Heche from the firey scene and administer medical care, per NBC. However, their efforts were ultimately in vain as Heche slipped into a coma and was declared brain dead — legally dead in California — six days later, though doctors were keeping her on life support to gauge whether organ donation would be viable, per Today.
Unfortunately, Heche's death set off a string of legal fights within her estate. According to CNN, Lynne Mishele, who was renting the home Heche crashed into, sued Heche's estate for $2 million in November, citing her destroyed personal belongings as well as the emotional effects of living through the crash. And while that case is ongoing, the battle between Heche's 20-year-old son and her former partner James Tupper (with whom she shares a 13-year-old son) for control of her estate is now over.
Anne Heche's son now controls her estate
Homer Laffoon and James Tupper have been battling for months over who will get control over Heche's estate, which was reportedly worth $400,000, via Daily Mail. During multiple points in the court proceedings, things have become quite contentious.
It all started once Laffoon filed paperwork in the hopes of gaining control of his late mom's assets, in addition to requesting that a third-party guardian at litem be appointed to his minor brother, per Page Six. This prompted Tupper to file his own paperwork. In October, Tupper requested that the courts name him as his son's guardian, granting him control over any monetary inheritance. "As a minor, Atlas has no ability to hire legal representation to represent his interests in these proceedings," Tupper said in court, via Us Weekly. Later in the month, Tupper accused Laffoon of being "hostile" toward Atlas, and claimed that the younger brother "has no confidence in [Homer's] ability to meet his fiduciary obligations to Atlas," per Entertainment Tonight.
Now, a judge has ruled that Laffon be named the general executor of Heche's estate, according to People. "We believe the court reached the correct result this morning, both legally and equitably, and are glad to have this phase of the process behind us," said Brian Phillip's, Laffoon's legal representatives in a statement. "With Mr. Tupper's allegations and objections now resolved, we are hopeful the administration of the Estate can proceed without unnecessary complication."