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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
New York Times picks up story about Dallas Museum of Art being sued
The museum stands firm that the man suing them only wants more money out of his wealthy mother's estate.
DALLAS — On Friday, a lawsuit was filed against the Dallas Museum of Art by Arnold Leon Schroeder Jr., the son of philanthropist Wendy Reves. Reves and her third husband Emery Reves are donors of the Wendy and Emery Reves collection at the DMA, which includes nearly 1,500 paintings by Van Gogh and Renoir, among others.
Emery Reves died in 1981 and Wendy Reves died in 2007. The Reves family is wealthy, no question, and Wendy Reves lived in France in Coco Chanel's villa.
Schroeder is suing the museum because museum officials "conspired to circumvent French law by secreting the collection — which the suit values at $400 million — out of France, thus cheating [Schroeder] of his right under French law to half of his mother’s estate," the New York Times writes.
The DMA says no way. In a statement re-posted by Unfair Park, they write, in part:
In the current lawsuit, Mr. Schroeder and his legal counsel have put forth a dramatic story that is untrue in many significant respects. They depict Wendy Reves as an ailing old woman who was manipulated into supporting charities in Dallas against her will. In fact, anyone who knew Wendy Reves is well aware that she was very clear, direct, and in charge of her life, including her intentions for her own estate and for the trusts created by Emery Reves that she directed. These donations followed the wishes of her late husband, and many of them were made decades before she passed away, including the 1983 gift to the Dallas Museum of Art of the Reves Collection.
Mr. Schroeder, an American citizen living in California, is hoping that French "forced heirship" laws will be applied to Wendy Reves's estate, thus entitling him to one-half of her assets, rather than the $500,000 left to him in her will.
The suit also wraps former UT Southwestern president Kern Wildenthal into the whole mess. They respond thusly:
Wendy Reves has made several donations to Dallas arts causes, including to Susan G. Komen and the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.
Read the full lawsuit here.
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flamenca1, anonymous:
Susan G. Komen is a disease charity, not arts-related, other than "medical arts."
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Sarah Blaskovich, staff:
Hi flamenca1, you're right. I changed the verbiage to read "Dallas causes."
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Jason Rice, verified:
Just imagine that poor California orphan, left with nothing of his dear departed mother but half a million dollars.
It's just so very sad. I'll not sleep for a week.
Half a million dollars for just outliving her.
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jtmbls, anonymous:
Yeah, but when that half a mil was an expected half a bil, I think I'd be pretty bent about that too. I never understand parents like this.
A $500,000 nest egg would support a retired person living a modest lifestyle for maybe ten years at the most. Not even that after taxes. If your own mother has the capacity to give you a life of security but she choses instead to favor objects and artifacts (not that those are not important), I'd say "Ouch!" and then "Grrrr!"
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troublebait, anonymous:
The lawsuit is not about Wendy Reves son and the esate as much a sit is why/how Kern Wildenthal ended up as the sole beneficiary. This story doesn't mention that Wendy Reves was ruled incompetent the last two years of her life.So,how is it that Wildenthal and attorney Ed Copely just happened to fly to the French Riveria estate of Wendy Reves with a new will? The phone conversation probably wnet like this: Wendy?" "Yes?" "This is your old pal Kern who means more to you that anything else on the face of this earth.He loves you more than your own son or grandchildren." "Really??" "I thought I'd come over and be chill-laxin' with you and I thought we'd make me your sole beneficiary.Sound good?" "Oh,Kern I have thought of nothing else"."I'll bring an attorney and we can wrap this up before you croak off". "Kern you have always been so darn thoughtful." "Kern,can we have sex?" "Wendy that's the purpose of my visit,to screw you out of your money." "Kern! You say the most charming things.You deserve this money and I want you to have it all so you can live like a king that you are and a legend in your own mind.Make sure my son gets a little chump change."" Ok Wendy,say $500,000?" Sounds good Kern."
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What do you think?