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Late Houston Philanthropist’s Family in Court Fight Over Arts Bequests
The daughter of a major benefactor of the arts in Houston is contesting her father’s final will, alleging that his lawyers pressured him to leave most of his money to cultural charities, The Houston Chronicle reports.
In the last of his nine wills, signed in 2003, five years before his death at age 95, the oilman and philanthropist Alfred C. Glassell Jr. left the bulk of his $500-million estate to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and a family foundation that supports the arts. His daughter, Curry Glassell, would receive about $1.6-million after taxes.
In a trial set to begin Monday, Ms. Glassell will seek reinstatement of an earlier document that would give her about $100-million. She says her father’s lawyers took advantage of his frail condition to coerce him into leaving more to the museum, for which their firm did pro bono work. Her mother and brother, who runs the family foundation, favor the 2003 will.
Joe Jamail, a lawyer for the art museum, said that because Vinson & Elkins does the museum work pro bono, it had nothing to gain. A spokesman for the law firm said its lawyers might testify in the lawsuit and therefore had no comment.
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