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Leona Helmsley's Fortune Can Go to Non-Canine Charities

2009_02_leonah.jpg A judge ruled that Leona Helmsley's multibillion dollar fortune can be distributed to a number of charities—and not just dog-related ones. The real estate mogul, who died in 2007, had wanted her $5-8 billion fortune to go to canine charities (she also left $12 million to her dog Trouble, but that was reduced to $2 million by a judge), but now The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust's trustees will be able to determine where the money goes. A statement from the trust notes, "In the hope that this would be the court's decision, the trustees have been diligently working to identify potential grantees so the Trust's funds would be put to optimal use as soon as possible in such areas as health care, medical research, human services, education, and various other areas."

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Comments [rss]

  • ziggyziggy

    i would hit it until the cops pulled me off!

  • Felix Hoenikker

    Some of that money should be used to run plumbing from the subway urinals to her grave.



    When Madoff finally croaks, his hell will be to bang this withered old crone for all of eternity.

  • Snoopy

    I know Madoff was a bad guy, but isn't that a bit excessive in the punishment department?

  • NannyState

    True, he should only have to eat her out.

  • Clarice City

    Lady's luncheon?

  • felixthecat2

    No big surprise that AG cuomo was part of the petition to the courts to allow the trustee to ignore Helmsley's last wishes and divert her money elsewhere. Expect her money to fall in the pockets of all these thieves and sharletins. That money was better off going to the dogs instead of Rubenstein, another maddoff

  • felixthecat2

    the judge is a mensch, this was helmsley money and her wish should be respected. Now our last request can be ignored. This is interference into private citizen's lives. what a shame.

  • ixvnyc

    No it wasn't her money. She stole it from the proletariat and it should be returned to us. Marie Antoinette characters like this are the reason we have revolutions. Fuck her and her dogs. It's our money.

  • MrManhattan

    Yea, "revolutionaries" like those NYU putzes? I wouldn't even pee on their legs.



    The Revolution book store called, your twenty year old copy of "Workers World Daily" is getting dusty.

  • ixvnyc

    I am taking on Leona Helmsley, and you are taking on me. I wonder how far you've made it in this capitalism with that kind of an ambition?

  • NannyState

    You should ask yourself that question...oh wait, that would be ironic.

  • MrManhattan

    That judge should be neutered.

  • freddynyc

    Wow, please tell me that picture has been photoshopped in some way....

  • No—I did a double take when I saw it, too.

  • so1337

    she looks like the Joker

  • Guest

    That's what happens when old women are more vain than they are sane.

  • NannyState

    She put her face on crooked that morning. Just a clean, moist towlette from being happy again.

  • NannyState

    A little antifreeze and the "Trouble" goes away.

  • VanessaNYC

    I was just in rural Mexico. The money would be very well spent spaying and neutering dogs in developing countries. Seriously.

  • Snoopy

    That was seriously uncalled for V. There are lot of mothers in Mexico that are quite attractive.

  • nik13

    At least you wouldn't have to worry about one or two of them showing on your doorstep, years later with a big litter.



    Seriously, Leona was such a misanthrope. With a face to match her soul.

  • rcltrh

    Seriously she was an evil bitch, however it was her money and not anyone elses and no judge nor trustee should have any right to go against her will. If I were a billionaire getting ready to kick it I would have to make sure I donated it all to whatever cause I wanted and go ahead and sign the check with some sort of legal "post dating" clause so that once I was declared dead the check would clear. It should be against the law for that judge to be able to change a will. Otherwise, what the hell good are they?

  • Guest

    If there is a question as to how sane the dead person was when they wrote their will, it is entirely legal to request validation of the will. And I don't care who you are, even if you're the head of PETA or the ASPCA, if you leave millions to your pet, you're insane. Not only is that selfish, but it's inhumane.

  • Lilitu

    Agreed. Does this mean I can sue to have my relatives' wills ignored, too? Or does it only apply to famous people? There are a great many charities out there that need funding, no question. She made clear which ones she wanted to fund. That should be the end of it. This is messed up.

  • fallingslowly

    I don't know much about this case, so I clicked around and found this quote on the "$5-8 billion fortune" link:



    "It is by no means clear, however, that all the money will go to dogs. Another provision of the mission statement says Helmsley's trustees may use their discretion in distributing the money, and some lawyers said the statement may not mean much anyway, given that its directions were not incorporated into Helmsley's will or the trust documents."



    So it looks like she was interested in giving most of the money to dog charities, but decided to let other people make the actual decisions after she passed.

  • Snoopy

    I see that decision really put a smile on Leona's face.

  • JenChungsBaby

    Come to mother baby, let me hold you in my arms.

    My Lord, I never wanted him to get in any trouble.

    Why'd he ever have to leave me?

    Worm your honor, let me take him home!

  • Felix Hoenikker

    Surely, gone fishing.

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