There is uncertainty over the fate of Gene Hackman’s reputed $80m fortune after it emerged he left his entire estate to his late wife, Betsy Arakawa.
The Oscar-winning actor, 95, and his classical pianist wife, 65, were both found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, last month.
Last week, authorities announced that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease, as much as a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — killed his wife.
TMZ reports that Hackman had a will drawn up in 1995 that made Arakawa his sole beneficiary. His three children, son Christopher and daughters Leslie and Elizabeth, are not named in the document.
In her own will, Arakawa left most of her assets to Hackman. However, the document also reportedly includes a clause stating that if the couple died within 90 days of each other, it would be considered a simultaneous death and all her assets would be donated to charity.
Hackman’s son Christopher has reportedly already hired Andrew M. Katzenstein, a prominent California trust and estate attorney, which could indicate he plans to challenge his father’s will.
Earlier today, a representative for Hackman’s estate sought to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports relating to the deaths of the actor and his wife.
The representative, Julia Peters, urged a state district court in Santa Fe to seal records in the cases to protect the family’s right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
She emphasized the possibly shocking nature of photographs and police body-camera video in the investigation and the potential for their dissemination by media.
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The request, filed on Tuesday, also described the couple’s discreet lifestyle in Santa Fe since Hackman’s retirement. The couple “lived an exemplary private life for over 30 years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and did not showcase their lifestyle,” said the petition.
New Mexico’s open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of people who are deceased, said Amanda Lavin, legal director at the non-profit New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.
Some medical information is also not considered public record under the state Inspection of Public Records Act.
At the same time, the bulk of death investigations by law enforcement and autopsy reports by medical investigators are typically considered public records under state law in the spirit of ensuring government transparency and accountability, she said.
“I do think it does infringe on transparency if the court were to prohibit release of all the investigation records, including the autopsies,” Lavin said Thursday. “The whole idea of those records being available is to ensure accountability in the way those investigations are done.”
“There is also a public health concern given that hantavirus was involved,” Lavin said.
She said the preemptive request to prevent the release of government records on constitutional grounds is unusual.
