Actor James Tupper (“Big Little Lies”), ex-husband of Anne Heche (“Playing with Pleasure”), was denied a request to be appointed guardian of Atlas (her son with Heche) and in charge of the actress’s estate , who died after a car accident two months ago. The case was heard on Tuesday (11/10) in Los Angeles and culminated in a discussion between Tupper and Judge Lee Bogdanof.
According to Bogdanof’s ruling, Tupper has not provided enough evidence to prevent Homer Laffoon (Heche’s eldest son from his first marriage) from becoming the legal guardian of his younger half-brother, Atlas.
On August 31, Homer petitioned to be appointed executor of his mother’s estate, claiming that he was “the person with the highest appointment priority” and that, as a result, he had “legally the right to appoint as trustee.” . “
Furthermore, he demanded that he and Atlas be listed as Heche’s sole heirs and asked the court to appoint him as Atlas’s guardian.
Tupper, in turn, said that “as a minor, Atlas is unable to hire a legal representative to represent his interests in this process.” The actor also added that he is Atlas’s only living father, that they live together and that he loves him son.
Therefore, in addition to asking the court to appoint him as the son’s legal guardian, Tupper also claimed that he should have been the executor of the Heche estate. To this end, he submitted an email that Anne Heche sent him in 2011, presumably confirming this request.
“My wishes are that all my assets go under the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then given to the children,” the email read.
However, Homer claimed that the alleged will was invalid because “it was not signed by [Heche] and it doesn’t have two witnesses who signed the document during [sua] life”.
The judge ruled that the brothers have an equal interest in the property and that it will be divided equally. But Christopher Johnson, Tupper’s attorney, said the real problem wasn’t the division, but who will manage the inheritance. This started a long discussion.
When Johnson argued that Homer was unqualified, the judge replied, “Sir, in California, if you’re illiterate, you can be an administrator. Okay? If you can’t read, you’ve never gone to college, you can be an administrator. Okay? The fact that he’s Gen Z or whatever, or maybe he’s a cold dude, doesn’t disqualify him. Maybe he’s not the best communicator, that doesn’t disqualify him. None of that disqualifies him. “
“We are not naming, we are not deciding who is the best person here. To avoid disappointment as an administrator, I would have to find out if there are reasons for his removal,” Bogdanoff said. “We are not here to choose the best person. I am here to decide if he is qualified or not.”
Tupper, who was standing next to his lawyer and son, kept shaking his head the whole time and this annoyed the judge. “Why are you shaking your head? It’s very disrespectful. Don’t shake your head at me – never do that if you’re going to introduce yourself again. Please take your hands out of your pockets, sir. Do you want to say something?”
Faced with the interrogation, Tupper replied: “Sure. I don’t feel like the big brother [de Atlas] will take care of him. We waited two months just to get into the apartment. “
It was only this week that Atlas was allowed to move his belongings from his mother’s house, having been prevented until then by his older brother.
Tupper said he had to buy Atlas a new computer since his brother changed the locks on the house and prevented him from taking his laptop, and even claimed that Homer treats Atlas as if they were “enemies”. He added that Atlas is “going through a bereavement and complicating everything” and that he fears that their relationship may be permanently ruined by this.
Following the ruling, Laffoon’s attorney, Bryan L. Phipps, told Page Six that: “We are delighted – but not surprised – by the court’s decision this morning that rejected James’s request to be appointed ad litem guardian. for Atlas. We look forward to the court resolving Homer’s petition at the next hearing and, in the meantime, Homer will continue to diligently manage the estate in accordance with his authority as a special administrator. “
The next hearing of the case will be held on November 30, 2022.
Anne Heche died in a car accident on August 5, which left her in a coma for a week. She was pronounced brain dead on August 11, but she temporarily remained on life support to donate her organs.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
