Louie Anderson’s Estate Battle Gets Ugly Amidst Accusations of Elder Abuse
The late Louie Anderson’s estate is at the center of a protracted legal battle between his managers and his sister, the latter of whom has accused the formers of elder abuse after an amendment made to Anderson’s will four days before his death in January, 2022 significantly reduced the inheritances of the comedian’s family.
According to Radar Online, Ahmos Hassan and Abraham Geisness, Anderson’s agent and manager respectively, have threatened to cut Lisa Anderson out of her brother’s will entirely after almost a year of litigation over the late change to the comedian’s will. Lisa claims that the amendment was made under heavy coercion from Hassan and Geisness while her brother was mentally incapable of making such decisions. Hassan and Geisness, however, claim that their client was of sound mind when the will was changed to increase gifts to his managers and reduce those to Anderson’s family members.
Last year, Lisa filed a lawsuit which demanded the amendment to the will be found invalid. In a motion filed in the ongoing case, Hassan claims to have deposed the notary who purportedly witnessed the change made on Louie’s deathbed, saying, “The notary confirmed under oath that the Decedent had the requisite mental capacity to sign the Trust, and that, consistent with her practice, she even questioned the Decedent about his capacity before he signed the document.”
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Abraham has also accused Lisa of falsely portraying herself “as a devoted sister who cares only for her brother’s well-being, that rings hollow. The Petition itself shows how little (Lisa) had to do with Louie’s life, save for when it directly benefited her.”
“Although Louie had hoped his siblings and friends would respect his wishes after he died, he also knew the likelihood that someone would selfishly try to invalidate his wishes,” Abraham claimed. “For that exact reason, Louie ensured that both the original and restated Louie Anderson Trust documents, as well as his will, all contained no-contest provisions.”
Lisa, however, has made a litany of allegations against Abraham and Geisness, even claiming that the latter was her brother’s lover and saying that Louie called her during the last months of his life to express his suspicions that the defendants were stealing from him. When Lisa first began legal proceedings against Abraham and Geisness in September, 2022, she claimed that, the day the amendment was made, she was forced out of her brother’s hospital room by the defendants and heard "voices yelling and shouting at Louie telling him to sign some documents," including "this is it! You must sign NOW."
Lisa says that Louie was "unable to hold a pen in his hand and write at the time," an assertion seemingly corroborated by a scan of the signature on the amendment acquired by The Blast.
Hassan’s motion alleges that the notary stated under oath that Lisa was not outside the room when the amendment was signed, nor did the notary see Lisa in the hospital on the day in question. Hassan says that, in light of the testimony, he intends to file a petition to disinherit Lisa completely from the trust in accordance with the Trust’s no-contest clause.
