A mysterious plaintiff is challenging the will of designer Karl Lagerfeld. Relatives, denied access to a fortune of 200 million euros, are reportedly receiving letters from the executor of the will stating that the will may be overturned, UNN reports, citing The Guardian.
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The late German Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld was known for his precision, demanding nature, and penchant for insults, but his last wishes regarding the heirs to his vast fortune may now be overturned after his death in a looming legal battle.
Seven years after Lagerfeld's death from cancer, an unnamed plaintiff has filed a lawsuit challenging the last will and testament of the high fashion titan.
The executor of the will, Christian Boisson, has contacted Lagerfeld's surviving nieces and nephews to inform them that they may inherit his millions if the case is successful, German media reported. The care of his beloved cat, which was provided for before his death, will remain unchanged.
Lagerfeld, one of the most influential figures in global high fashion for decades, but an enigmatic personality behind dark glasses, had no spouse, children, or surviving siblings when he died in 2019 at the age of 85.
His will, dated April 29, 2016, did not list the children of his deceased siblings as heirs, and his accumulated fortune and property, estimated at approximately 200 million euros, went to a narrow circle of trusted individuals.
This list is believed to include his assistant and bodyguard Sébastien Jondeau, his teenage godson Hudson Kroenig, and models Brad Kroenig and Baptiste Giabiconi. Giabiconi referred to himself as "first in line" among Lagerfeld's heirs and said the designer once made an unsuccessful attempt to adopt him.
German magazine Bunte reported that the descendants of Lagerfeld's late sisters, Christiane Johnson, who died in 2015, and Thea von der Schulenburg, who married into the aristocratic Schulenburg clan and died in 1997, received letters from the executor.
"The interpretation of the will is being challenged," Boisson wrote, according to Bunte. "Currently, the rights of the heirs are uncertain."
Lagerfeld lived in Paris and died on its outskirts, but maintained what he called his primary residence in Monaco, meaning French and Monegasque law, which typically designates next of kin as legal heirs, would apply.
However, the plaintiff will have to prove that Lagerfeld, who was born in Hamburg in 1933, was not of sound mind when he signed the will.
German media quickly noted that Lagerfeld's 14-year-old fluffy cat Choupette, acquired from Giabiconi, can continue to sleep peacefully in her luxurious life.
During his lifetime, the designer bequeathed to his housekeeper Françoise Cacot a house and garden in France, as well as a generous bank account, so that she would care for his beloved white Burmese cat with sapphire eyes after his death. Since the gift was made long before his death, it is believed that his will cannot be legally challenged.
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Choupette's luxurious lifestyle became legendary – she ate from porcelain dishes, slept on Chanel fabrics, and rested in Louis Vuitton monogrammed cat carriers.
She has her own verified Instagram account with 278,000 followers and earned a living as an advertising mascot for companies like German automaker Audi. When Lagerfeld died, rumors spread that she was listed as a beneficiary in his will.
In addition to his couture fortune, Lagerfeld owned a number of luxury properties, including his enormous Parisian apartment and a lavish villa in Biarritz, and also held a significant portfolio of stocks, as well as collections of art and rare books.
Little is known about how and when Lagerfeld fell out with his relatives, but it is believed that they were estranged in the last decades of his life. A 2023 BBC Two documentary states that he had not seen any of his nieces for five decades.
Another niece, an American, said that although she barely knew Lagerfeld, he was "generous," even designing her wedding dress for free and then flying it on the Concorde to make it to the ceremony. She told the filmmakers that she expected nothing more from her late uncle: "There's no need."
Lagerfeld worked until his death on several collections a year for Chanel, Fendi, and his own Karl Lagerfeld brand. He said he often made changes to his will, once saying, "Even one strange look from someone, and they're out."
This is not the first time Lagerfeld's named beneficiaries have worried that their inheritance would be taken away. According to the German newspaper Bild, French financial authorities are demanding up to 40 million euros from his estate in back taxes on the grounds that his actual primary residence is not in Monaco, a tax haven.