Doris Duke

The two women had a falling out, and the final version of Duke's will specified that she did not wish Heffner to benefit from her father's trusts; she also negated the adoption. Despite the negation, after Duke's death, the estate's trustees settled a lawsuit brought by Heffner for $65 million.

In her final will, Duke left virtually all of her fortune to several existing and new charitable foundations. She appointed her Irish-born butler Bernard Lafferty as executor, who then appointed, as corporate co-executor, US Trust company; Lafferty and his friend Marion Oates Charles were named as her trustees. However a number of lawsuits were filed against the will. At death, Duke's fortune was estimated at $1.3 billion. The most notorious lawsuit was initiated by Harry Demopoulos, whose company 'Health Maintenance Programs' owed the Duke Estate $600,000. Demopoulos found out that he had been named co-executor in an earlier will and challenged Lafferty's appointment, claiming that convicted felon Tammy Payette told him (Demopoulos) that doctors had killed Duke. In an attempt to convince the court that Payette's allegation was credible, Demopoulos hired a psychiatrist to examine Payette but ultimately to no avail. In 1996, the year Lafferty died, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office ruled there was no evidence of foul play. Read Less