FAMILY FIGHTS $600,000 DONATION TO LIBRARIES.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer In life, publishing heiress heiress n. feminine heir, often used to denote a woman who has received a large amount upon the death of a rich relative, as in the "department store heiress." HEIRESS. A female heir to a person having an estate of inheritance. Margaret De Heurtaumont loved books, reading and libraries. Her relatives found out just how much when the 89-year-old Agua Dulce Agua Dulce is Spanish for "sweet water". It also refers to various locations: In Mexico:
De Heurtaumont's gift of $600,000 to the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Library Department has touched off a legal battle by relatives who claim that the handwritten hand·write tr.v. hand·wrote , hand·writ·ten , hand·writ·ing, hand·writes To write by hand. [Back-formation from handwritten.] Adj. 1. will is invalid. They claim that when she died, De Heurtaumont was ``not of sound and disposing mind.'' The City Attorney's Office is contesting the family's claim. It will ask the City Council on Wednesday to hire an outside attorney, specializing in probate law, to protect what is believed to be the largest financial gift ever given to the libraries. ``It's a surprise,'' City Librarian Susan Kent said of the bequeathal be·queath tr.v. be·queathed, be·queath·ing, be·queaths 1. Law To leave or give (personal property) by will. 2. . ``It's unfortunate that she died. But it's very nice news that she thought of the libraries.'' Linda Brown, who manages the Lannan Ranch where De Heurtaumont lived before her death, said libraries and librarians were always an important part of De Heurtaumont's life. ``She just used the library a lot,'' Brown said Monday. ``When she was younger, she spent a lot of time at the library. When she got older, and she couldn't get out, she used to call them any time she wanted to know something. ``She probably drove them crazy with her calls, but they would always look up what she asked about,'' Brown noted. ``She said they had done more for her in her lifetime than any family members.'' Oxnard attorney James McGinley doesn't buy it. He said his great aunt had written at least one previous will that did not mention the Los Angeles Library Department as a beneficiary, let alone leave the libraries the bulk of her $695,000 estate. McGinley believes the handwritten will found in her possessions on the Lannan Ranch in Agua Dulce is not legal. He and other family representatives said it is unclear why De Heurtaumont gave so much to the city. ``That's the mystery,'' said Danielle Miller, an attorney for some of the family members. Miller said the relatives believe De Heurtaumont worked for the Library Department at one time several decades ago, although city officials say their incomplete records do not list De Heurtaumont as a former employee. McGinley said De Heurtaumont lived near UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX for some time and he believes she was a librarian in the 1930s. De Heurtaumont's estate is what is left over from an inheritance she received from her grandfather, Patrick Lannan, who started a publishing and newspaper business in Utah in the 1800s, relatives said. De Heurtaumont lived in France before World War II and was, at one time, married to a man from France, McGinley said. Court papers indicate she had no surviving immediate family members. Records also indicate that she did some work in translating the work of the French writer Albert Camus Noun 1. Albert Camus - French writer who portrayed the human condition as isolated in an absurd world (1913-1960) Camus from French to English. Her closest relation, a niece, has been named as administrator of the will and has contested the document in part on grounds that it was not dated on the day it was written. However, Deputy City Attorney Terry Martin Brown has filed court papers saying the will is legal and De Heurtaumont was of ``sound mind'' when she left most of her estate to the city. ``She was just a woman who loved books, loved reading and thought well of the city library system,'' Brown said. Amid the many questions surrounding the large bequest bequest: see legacy. , family members have offered to sit down with the city librarians and talk about a settlement that would include a voluntary contribution to the libraries, but they say the City Attorney's Office has refused to negotiate. McGinley said that the city is hoping to drive up legal costs to scare away to drive away by frightening. See also: Scare the family. ``I think anybody who is familiar with the city, and particularly taxpayers, would be severely disappointed with the pattern of stonewalling stone·wall v. stone·walled, stone·wall·ing, stone·walls v.intr. 1. Informal a. and driving litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. costs up,'' McGinley said. However, Kent said the library system would put the money to good use in a system patronized pa·tron·ize tr.v. pa·tron·ized, pa·tron·iz·ing, pa·tron·iz·es 1. To act as a patron to; support or sponsor. 2. To go to as a customer, especially on a regular basis. 3. by millions of people. Kent said she would like to believe the woman bestowed her gift because of the public goodwill earned by the library system. ``So many people have very good feelings about the library system in Los Angeles,'' Kent said. Brown said it is a shame that a dispute has arisen: ``I just hope this all gets straightened out and I hope the money goes where Margaret wanted it to go.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion