Anne Heche’s ex, James Tupper, has applied to be appointed legal guardian of his 13-year-old son with the actress, as he continues to fight with his stepson over his estate.
DailyMail.com obtained court documents filed by Tupper, 57, who is seeking to become the legal guardian of his son Atlas Heche Tupper after Heche’s eldest son, Homer Laffoon, 20, filed a petition to be released. charge of his mother’s estate.
Laffoon also asked the court to be appointed legal guardian of his half-brother after Heche’s death.
‘James Tupper is the father of Atlas and the only living father. James loves both Homer and Atlas as a father and wants the best for both of them,” the file, obtained by DailyMail.com, states.
“To preserve family harmony and a healthy, brotherly relationship between Atlas and Homer, and given the complexity this inheritance is likely to entail…a neutral, bonded, private professional trustee would be a more appropriate administrator.”
The first hearing is set for next Tuesday, October 11. It is still unknown what assets Heche had when he died in August after a ferocious car crash.
James Tupper has applied to be appointed legal guardian of his son with Anne Heche, Atlas Heche Tupper, 13
DailyMail.com obtained court papers filed by Tupper seeking to become the legal guardian of his son Atlas Heche Tupper (left) after Heche’s eldest son, Homer Laffoon, 20, (right) filed a petition to be a charge of his mother’s estate.
‘James Tupper is the father of Atlas and the only living father. James loves both Homer and Atlas like a father who wants the best for both of them,” the presentation reads. The combined family of four is pictured in 2012
Tupper revealed in the filing that he will oppose Laffoon’s request to take over Heche’s estate, instead selecting his own independent trustee.
Homer was appointed as a “temporary administrator” in September to manage the publication of Heche Call Me Anne’s next book.
Tupper claims that Laffoon is “not suitable” to manage the estate because he is too young, unemployed and separated from his mother at the time of her death.
The actor goes on to accuse Laffoon, who is the son of real estate broker Coleman Laffoon, of changing the locks on the apartment Heche shared with Atlas, allegedly preventing the younger brother from retrieving his belongings.
Tupper has said that the two half-siblings have not had any contact since the day Heche died.
Laffoon called Tupper’s claims “baseless personal attacks” and “frivolous legal claims”.
He went on to say that Tupper is manipulating him and his half brother to take control of their mother’s estate. Laffoon also claimed that Tupper keeps him away from Atlas by monitoring the 13-year-old’s phone.
Laffoon’s attorneys said TMZ they trust that the eldest son will be the winner in court after he is temporarily appointed in charge of the estate.
Laffoon is “not suitable” to manage the estate because he is too young, unemployed and separated from his mother at the time of her death, according to Tupper’s files.
Tupper’s filing reads: “To preserve family harmony and a healthy brotherly relationship between Atlas and Homer, and given the complexity this estate is likely to entail…a neutral, bonded, private professional trustee would be a more appropriate trustee.”
Tupper revealed in the filing that he will oppose Laffoon’s request to be in charge of Heche’s estate and will select his own independent trustee to be in charge.
Last month, DailyMail.com revealed an email sent to Tupper in 2011 naming him executor of his estate. The email was included in Tupper’s legal filing as he battles 20-year-old Homer for control of his estate.
But Laffoon defended himself in a filing last week, claiming the email is not a legally recognized will because Heche did not sign the document.
‘Mister. Tupper repeatedly refers to the email as a “will,” however, as a matter of law, the email does not qualify as a holographic will or a formal witnessed will, Laffoon’s filing states.
‘The email was not signed by [Heche] and you do not have two witnesses who signed the document during [her] lifetime.’
Laffoon says his mother did not leave a will when she tragically died.
“Without a will, there can be no appointment of an executor,” Laffoon said, adding that he “has a legal right to be appointed administrator.”
However, Tupper claims that Heche’s January 25, 2011 email makes it clear that she wanted him to control all the assets.
Tupper claims the 2011 email proves he should be in charge of the estate. “FYI, in case he dies tomorrow and anyone asks,” Heche’s email begins. ‘My wishes are that all my assets pass into the control of Mr James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then be given to the children’
Tupper has said that the two half-siblings have not had any contact since the day Heche died. Tupper, Heche and her son Atlas in 2015
Heche’s email has the subject line ‘WILL’ and is addressed to Tupper and copied to attorneys Kevin Yorn and Melodie Moore.
“My wishes are that all my assets pass into the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then be given to the children,” the email reads.
He says that his assets will be divided equally between his two sons and that their portions should be given to them when they turn 25.
In the event that her two sons and Tupper pass away, Heche will turn over her estate to her nephew Eliot Bergman, to be divided equally among his nieces and nephews.
“Let this remain in my records as my word until more documents are drafted,” Heche ends in the email.
No more paperwork seems to have ever been filed.
In her original petition to the court, Laffoon says it’s unclear how much money or property Heche, 53, had in her name before she died. Laffoon lists his mother’s personal assets and annual income as ‘unknown’.
The court will have to look into Heche’s finances to determine the value of her estate and what properties she owned.
In 2021, it was reported that she was selling her country home in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles for around $2 million with co-star and former partner Thomas Jane.
It was also previously reported that she owned another home in the Hancock Park-Wilshire area of Los Angeles, a mansion priced at around $4 million.
A photo before the Aug. 5 crash shows Heche behind the wheel with a bottle of liquor in the cup holder.
Heche died from injuries sustained in a fireball car accident in Los Angeles on August 5.
Heche died after an accident on August 5 in Los Angeles. The actress, best known for her roles in Donnie Brasco, Volcano and Wag the Dog and her three-year relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, crashed her Mini Cooper into a house, causing an explosion.
Blood tests showed the actress had cocaine and fentanyl in her system when the high-speed crash occurred, but authorities confirmed she had not been drinking alcohol, despite being photographed shortly beforehand with a bottle of vodka in her cup holder. .
She was severely burned and in a coma.
Heche’s life support machine was turned off on August 14 and she was cremated on August 18.
A coroner ruled on August 17 that Heche died of inhalation injuries and burns, with the death ruled an accident.
The mother of two also had a sternum fracture caused by “blunt trauma,” according to information on the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s website.