Estate Planning

Battle Brewing Over Heath Ledger Estate?

By Hull & Hull LLP

Recently departed actor Heath Ledger (A Knight's Tale, Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight) left behind a young daughter.  But based on news reports, Ledger appears to have neglected to include his daughter in his Will, perhaps unintentionally.  It appears Ledger last filed a Will in 2003, before the birth of his daughter Matilda in 2005 and before his hit film Brokeback Mountain.  This Will reportedly leaves Heath Ledger's estate entirely to his father, mother and sisters, obviously with nothing to little Matilda.

Heath Ledger's father Kim has stated that little Matilda "will be taken care of".  However, Kim himself has been in litigation with his brothers, who accused him in 1994 of mishandling their grandfather's estate to the extent of $2 million.

This intriguing story also illustrates the importance and difficulty of valuing an estate.  News reports contain estimates from $2.5 million to $20 million, quite a range for an estate that spans at least two countries. 

No word yet on whether litigation will be launched on little Matilda's behalf against her exclusion from her father's estate.  Of course, other Wills may emerge...

Stay tuned.

Chris Graham

Full post as published by Toronto Estate Law Blog on March 13, 2008 (boomark / email).