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Helmsley's Dog Stripped of Million Dollar Inheritance
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 16, 2008
Modified Jun 16, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 16, 2008
Modified Jun 16, 2008
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Leona Helmsley’s dog Trouble, who was famously bequeathed $12 million from the late real estate tycoon, will now have to make do on a measly $2 million, according to the Post. Helmsley had set aside the money for the care of her beloved Maltese while also disinheriting two of her grandchildren, Craig Panzirer, 40, and Meegan Panzirer Wesolko, 37, "for reasons which are known to them." The siblings have now hammered out a deal with Helmsley’s executor, having argued that the billionaire “Queen of Mean” was not of sound mind when she signed the will in 2005.
The settlement gives the two snubbed grandchildren several tax free millions – Panzirer gets $4 million, Wesolko gets $2 million – in exchange for a confidentiality agreement. $10 million will be taken from Trouble and put into Helmsley’s charitable foundation, but the dog’s primary caretaker, a general manager of the Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel, says $2 million will easily cover the canine’s living expenses, which add up to approximately $190,000 a year. That includes a $60,000 guardian fee, $100,000 for 24 hour security (Trouble's gotten death threats), $8,000 for grooming, $3,000 for miscellaneous expenses, $1,200 for food and anywhere from $2,500 to $18,000 for medical care.
Tagged
dog
inheritance
Leona Helmsley
millions
trouble
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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