• 28
  • June
    2010

Heiress Gail Posner recently left a $3 million trust fund and an $8.3 million Miami Beach home to her three dogs, Conchita, April Maria, and Lucia. She also left $27 million to her personal trainer, bodyguards, and maids. Her only living child, her son Bret Carr, got $1 million.

He is going to contest the will.

That result comes as no surprise to any Florida contested will attorney. One indication of a possible will contest is the unequal and unexpected size of the bequests. Another is that the will was changed in 2008, from an earlier will that presumably left more to Mr. Carr and less to the dogs and the household staff.

A Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge will decide whether Mr. Carr can show:  

  • That the household staff had undue influence over Ms. Posner
  • That Ms. Posner was troubled by childhood trauma, as well as drug and alcohol addiction (and thus may have lacked capacity to change the will)

 "She never would have [changed the will] unless she was under extreme influence," said Mr. Carr. He also has a film of a visit with his mother in 2008, in which she claims her staff is trying to kidnap and kill her. She asks her son to "get me out of here."

Notorious hotelier Leona Helmsley left a $12 million trust fund to her Maltese that was later reduced by a judge to $2 million.