Award-winning actress Anne Heche died due to a car crash in August. She was declared brain-dead on August 12, but was kept on life support until August 14, as her organs were put up for donation through the OneLegacy Foundation. Her sudden passing left family and fans heartbroken.
The actress was not able to leave a will. Her son, 20-year-old Homer Laffoon, filed in court to assume control over his mother’s estate. Laffoon, Heche’s son with former husband Coleman “Coley” Laffoon, is said to be one of the two heirs to the estate, according to court documents. He shares this status with his half-brother, 13-year-old Atlas Heche Tupper.
Laffoon has been engaging in a legal battle with Heche’s former boyfriend, James Tupper. Tupper is hoping to get control of the estate and has been making personal attacks against Laffoon.
Laffoon says that Tupper prevented him from contacting his half brother, Atlas. While Laffoon has tried to reach out to his brother, Tupper has been checking the messages and has been responding “under the guise of being Atlas.”
Tupper was described as being “irrationally aggressive and threatening” towards Laffoon after Heche’s death.
“My brother Atlas and I lost our mom. After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness,” Laffoon shared.
According to Laffoon, Tupper has been holding on to a 2011 email which stated that Heche will be handing over the estate to Tupper. Laffoon argued that the email failed to meet criteria to be legally acknowledged as a proper will.
One problem is there were no formal witnesses, as required by the law. Another issue is that the handwriting is not the deceased’s handwriting. A will is needed to legally appoint someone as an executor to assume control over the property.
Laffoon and Tupper have been fighting over Heche’s estate for weeks. Tupper says that Laffoon was estranged from his mother and was an unsuitable candidate for administrator of the estate. Laffoon disputed the claim.
Update as of Wednesday, October 12: A judge has given control of the approximately $400K estate to Heche’s son Homer Laffoon, for the time being.