Helmsley's Posthumous Mission to Help Dogs, Screw Humans

Since Leona Helmsley died last year at the age of 87, details of the Queen of Mean's will and wishes have caused chatter amongst those who knew and knew of her. Most notably, her dog, a Maltese named Trouble, was left a hefty $12 million...surely more than he can spend in his lifetime! The move led to death threats against the pup, who now has a security team that costs around $100K per year. She also mandated from the afterlife that her tomb be “acid-washed or steam-cleaned” once a year.

The NY Times now reports that Helmsley (not known for her affection towards the human race) also left a mission statement of sorts, instructing that the entire trust, around $5 to 8 billion, be put towards the care and welfare of dogs. However, the trustees (in this case, her brother Alvin Rosenthal, two of her grandsons, Walter and David Panzirer, her lawyer Sandor Frankel, and her longtime friend John Codey) may use their discretion in distributing the money, so it's currently uncertain if her posthumous wish will come to be as it is not legally binding.

Currently the trustees are working with a philanthropic advisor and it is noted that Judge Roth of Manhattan will play a role again (she cut Trouble's inheritance by $10M). Allegedly Helmsley established this charitable goal list in 2003 with only two items on it. The first one involved helping indigent people...and was later removed from the list.

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By Jen Carlson in News on July 2, 2008 10:55 AM

Comments [rss]

Spirit of 76

JacqueMehoff, the same comment twice in two days? Sounds like it's time for some new material.

Are you kidding? You're lucky he didn't use his regular line seen every other day, "Pb is still cheap." Speaking of which, why would he use antifreeze when Pb is still cheap?

VanessaNYC

Ruff! ruff! ruff!

JacqueMehoff

why mess with a sure thing? it's like leaving chocolate or poinsettia's out. yum yum get mee sum.

of course, I've never done such a thing because I've never lived near violent pitbulls or stepped out onto a mine field full of dog crap.

Think2wice

How psychotic is a dog owner that leaves money to a creature with no concept of legal tender.

I mean the big bitch had to have known that the little bitch would be taken advantage of by, oh I don't know, every frickin' person in the world.

Oh, but Leona wasn't like the crazies at Creedmore, she's a lovable eccentric from UES. May all her preposterous demands be met by one and all. Huzzah!

BlackieJones

JacqueMehoff, the same comment twice in two days? Sounds like it's time for some new material.

JacqueMehoff

believe it or not, I like dogs

but dislike dog owners.

remember that seinfeld episode? only I'd use anti freeze and snausages.

interlard

Someone remind me to set up a security firm, then make fake death threats to a dog with $12M in the bank.

robingee

Dogs are better than people.

Spirit of 76

You have to look at it from her perspective. Dogs never made snarky remarks about her behind her back, unlike the commenters here. That's why they got the money.