Sep 29, 2008 9:53 am US/Pacific
Ledger's Daughter To Inherit Late Actor's Estate
Ledger Ex-Lawyer, Insurer Spar Over Policy
PERTH, Australia (AP) ―
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Actor Heath Ledger died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January. His daughter, Matilda Rose, 2, will inherit his estate.
Anthony Harvey/Getty Images
Heath Ledger's 2-year-old daughter Matilda Rose will inherit all of her father's estate, Ledger's father says.
The Australian actor, who died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January, signed a will before his daughter was born leaving everything to his parents and three sisters. Some had speculated his former partner Michelle Williams would lodge a claim for the money.
But Ledger's father, Kim Ledger, told the Australian newspaper The Sunday Times that the family had given all the money to Matilda and that there had been no challenge from Williams.
"There is no claim," the newspaper quoted Kim Ledger as saying in a report published Sunday. "Our family has gifted everything to Matilda."
The actor signed the will on April 12, 2003. It lists assets and cash of just $118,000, but the actor's estate is believed to be worth more than $16.3 million, the newspaper said.
Adelaide accountant Mark Dyson, who is an executor of the estate, said he could not reveal how much Matilda would inherit.
Meanwhile, a former attorney for Heath Ledger is suing over the $10 million life insurance policy, claiming it has gone unpaid since the actor's death.
Attorney John S. LaViolette sued Minnesota-based ReliaStar Life Insurance Company in July, claiming the company is trying to avoid paying the claim to Ledger's young daughter, Matilda Rose.
The lawsuit doesn't mention Ledger or his daughter's name. It states that it's on behalf of a man who died of "accidental causes on January 22, 2008." That's the day Ledger was found dead of an apparent accidental prescription drug overdose.
A spokesman for ReliaStar says the insurer has made no decision about whether to pay the claim.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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