A fight over an estate in New York that is receiving a lot of attention, shows how difficult it can be to win a claim of undue influence in estate law.
Micky Liu worked as an IT professional for HBO. He went with some friends to a casino in Atlantic City and decided to go to a strip club while he was there. At the club, he met a stripper named Victoria Beckham.
The two developed some sort of relationship from there, even though Beckham moved to Florida shortly after they met. She would later move to New York and lived with Liu for approximately a month before moving to Florida again. Liu passed away at the age of 50, approximately six months after meeting Beckham.
She maintains that their relationship did not progress beyond a friendship. However, Liu changed many of his plans by writing her into his will and naming her as the beneficiary of his financial accounts as the Daily Mail reports in "Stripper wins the right to keep $223k left to her by 'lonely' HBO executive after they met in a strip club six months before his death."
Beckham inherited a total of approximately $223,000 from Liu. His family found out about this and they were understandably upset. His sister filed a lawsuit claiming Beckham used her professional experience as a stripper to seduce and unduly influence Liu for her own financial benefit.
While it is not clear whether the underlying claim in the lawsuit has any merit or not, Beckham will get to keep the money for now. Liu's sister was not a previous beneficiary of his will or accounts. Therefore, she does not have the standing to sue. The family is considering its other options.
Reference: Daily Mail (April 26, 2018) "Stripper wins the right to keep $223k left to her by 'lonely' HBO executive after they met in a strip club six months before his death."
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