Anne Heche estate battle: Homer Laffoon opposes new James Tupper guardianship petition in court documents
Anne Heche’s son, Homer Laffoon, filed an opposition to James Tupper’s petition for appointment of guardian ad litem Tuesday in new court documents submitted to a Los Angeles County court and obtained by Fox News Digital.
Tupper, who dated Heche for 11 years and has 13-year-old son Atlas with the late actress, initially filed paperwork Monday seeking to establish himself as the guardian ad litem of his son, who is legally a minor. Tupper’s documents then go on to request “a bonded, neutral, private, professional fiduciary be selected to administer the subject estate.”
Laffoon claims Tupper is “precluded from serving as the minor’s guardian ad litem based on several actual and potential conflicts of interest.” The documents state Tupper professed affection for both of the children, which could be an issue if he is “ever forced to side with one child against the other.”
A source told Fox News Digital that Atlas’s interests are already “adequately represented in the proceedings” as they are also Laffoon’s interests. “Anything that Homer does to augment those interests or harm those interests, will also augment or harm his own interests,” the source said.
In addition, Tupper has already received assets from Heche’s estate, according to the court docs. “Dependent upon Mr. Tupper’s intentions and actions regarding these funds, it may be necessary for the Estate to institute legal proceedings against Mr. Tupper for the ultimate benefit of the Minor,” the docs said.
Anne Heche’s oldest son, Homer Laffoon, filed new court documents contesting James Tupper’s petition seeking guardian ad litem in the ongoing battle over Heche’s estate.
(Getty Images)
“As a general matter, Mr. Laffoon does not object to the appointment of guardian ad litem to represent the interest of Atlas Heche Tupper (the “Minor”) in this matter. Mr. Laffoon, however, contends that the specific reasons for appointing a guardian ad litem, as detailed in the GAL Petition, are insufficient to warrant the appointment of a guardian ad litem, especially at the expense of the Minor,” Laffoon’s documents state.
A third “motive” in Tupper’s filing is to “avoid liability on legal claims the estate maintains against Mr. Tupper stemming from several agreements concerning the ownership, maintenance, and sale of real properties co-owned by the Decedent (Heche) and Mr. Tupper shortly before the Decedent’s death.”
Tupper allegedly owes the estate “hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential claims,” which ultimately benefit the minor.
James Tupper and Anne Heche (seen in 2017) dated for 11 years before ultimately ending their relationship in 2018.
(Chris Delmas)
The filing also requests all “costs associated with guardian ad litem should be paid by Mr. Tupper.”
ANNE HECHE MEMOIR ‘CALL ME ANNE’ GETS JANUARY RELEASE, LATE ACTRESS DEDICATES BOOK ‘TO HER CHILDREN’
“It is Mr. Laffoon’s sincere hope that Mr. Tupper will not force the Estate to institute legal proceedings on these claims, but Mr. Tupper’s recent actions make this outcome less and less likely.”
A rep for Tupper did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Heche died Aug. 11 of “inhalation and thermal injuries” following a car collision in Mar Vista, California, the week before. Her manner of death was listed as an accident in a report released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Shortly after her death, Laffoon, her 20-year-old son from her marriage with Coley Laffoon, petitioned to be named administrator of her estate, which still has an unknown value and will need to undergo forensic accounting to establish its worth.
Anne Heche’s second memoir, “Call Me Anne,” is scheduled to be released on Jan. 24, 2023, and will include personal anecdotes from her life.
(Start Publishing)
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Tupper has been contesting the estate planning and claimed that he received an emailed will from Heche in 2011, but prior legal documents stated “the email does not qualify as either a holographic will or formal witnessed will.”
“The email presented to the Court as Decedent’s ‘will’ by Mr. Tupper fails to meet the requirements for a valid holographic will because the signature and material provisions are not in the handwriting of the Decedent.”
The legal form went on to suggest “it was not uncommon” for Heche to send emails when “she was faced with uncertainty,” and it detailed a similar event when she was diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020.
Actress Anne Heche died on Aug. 11, 2022, of “inhalation and thermal injuries,” according to a coroner’s report following a car crash. She was 53.
(Michael Bezjian)
“This document, which fails to qualify as a will on the same basis as the email attached to the Objection, makes no reference whatsoever to Mr. Tupper, which is not surprising given their acrimonious breakup in 2018,” the document stated.
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Heche was taken off life support Aug. 14 after being declared brain-dead following a car crash the week before.
She suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury” and remained “in a coma” under medical care at the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills for the opportunity to donate her organs through the OneLegacy Foundation.
Heche was cremated, and her ashes will be placed in a mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In a statement to the Associated Press, Laffoon said that he and his brother, Atlas, “are convinced our mom would love the site we have chosen for her; it’s beautiful, serene and she will be among her Hollywood peers.”
