Gene Hackman‘s will has been released, and it is more unexpected than most would have had in mind—his entire estate went to his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and his three children are not included.
According to records obtained by TMZ, Hackman had made Betsy his sole beneficiary back in 1995.
Their timing of death has, however, complicated matters. Betsy allegedly passed away from hantavirus, a rare and typically fatal disease, while Hackman died of cardiovascular issues a week later.
The French Connection star had also been battling Alzheimer’s, which might explain why the authorities were not notified of his wife’s illness.
Adding to the complexity is Betsy’s own will.
While she bequeathed most of her assets to Gene, her will also includes a clause that if they both passed away within 90 days of each other, then their deaths would be considered concurrent—i.e., her estate would go to charity.
Because New Mexico is a community property state, Betsy’s estate likely consisted of a vast majority of Hackman’s wealth.
If their deaths qualify as simultaneous for the purposes of the law, most of their combined wealth would end up going to charities rather than Hackman’s children.
While Gene Hackman’s will disinherit his children—son Christopher, and daughters Leslie and Elizabeth—there is still a chance they can make a claim.
Being Hackman’s immediate heirs, they can inherit his portion of the estate, depending on the courts’ interpretation of the case.
Chris Hackman has reportedly retained top-drawer California estate attorney Andrew M. Katzenstein, signaling a potential court battle.
Hackman had already conceded his strained relationship with his children, acknowledging that he was effectively absent during Chris’ childhood, even though they had bonded in recent years.
Apart from the inheritance dispute, another legal battle is brewing concerning privacy.
Julia Peters, who speaks on behalf of the estates of both Hackman and Arakawa, has filed court documents in a bid to prevent the release of any crime scene photographs or body cam videos.
The couple was found dead in their home last month, and the bodies had seemingly lain there for over a week before they were discovered.
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