French court freezes assets of late rocker Johnny Hallyday

[rooster59]

French court freezes assets of late rocker Johnny Hallyday

 

Cast member Johnny Hallyday and his wife Laetitia pose as they arrive for the screening of the film "Vengeance" by director Johnnie To at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival May 17, 2009. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier/File Photo

 

PARIS (Reuters) - A French court on Friday froze the real estate assets and royalties of singer Johnny Hallyday, as his widow and two children from a previous marriage squabble over an inheritance estimated at up to 100 million euros ($120 million).

 

The rocker died in December at the age of 74 after a battle with lung cancer. Hundreds of thousands of people paid homage in a memorial service to the man who sold more than 100 million records in a nearly 60-year career.

 

French media estimates of his wealth vary wildly, with some saying it may be much lower than reported because of debts.

 

While the details of Hallyday's will have not been made public, the lawyers said it appeared to leave everything to his fourth wife Laeticia, 42, who married Hallyday when she was 21.

 

Hallyday's actress daughter Laura Smet, 34, and singer son, David Hallyday, 51, took legal action, asking for the estate to be frozen.

 

The court accepted that but rejected their demand to have a say on a posthumous Johnny Hallyday album which is likely to be a huge seller.

 

($1 = 0.8118 euros)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-14

[Ulic]

I understood (incorrectly I guess) that under Napoleonic law inheritance in France was a

standard formula with the wife getting half and the children all getting an equal share of

the remaining 50%. Of course, the church and others could also be included. Hopefully, they

will get it sorted without the lawyers carving out a big slice for themselves.

[geriatrickid]

5 hours ago, Ulic said:

I understood (incorrectly I guess) that under Napoleonic law inheritance in France was a

standard formula with the wife getting half and the children all getting an equal share of

the remaining 50%. Of course, the church and others could also be included. Hopefully, they

will get it sorted without the lawyers carving out a big slice for themselves.

Bonjour,

Your conclusion is based upon the assumption that the departed Johnny was a French citizen. As I recall, he first moved to Suisse to minimize his tax burden and then he took up residence in the USA. (As I understand it, the federal tax is waived if the estate is transferred to the spouse at death, and for all we know, once he realized he was dying of cancer, he may have set up a living trust to protect his wife.)  In 2015 the French law was amended to recognize that French nationals  who lived elsewhere had the right to designate the other jurisdiction for inheritance jurisdiction purposes. I think the only assets that would be subject to the French law would be  property/assets held in France, and even then if the ownership had changed to a trust, they might be untouchable. He had a home in Saint-Barthélémie, the French overseas territory, 

 

The children are scrambling for something they lost long ago; 21 years ago when Johnny married his wife. They will also be duking it out with 2 other children who are the designated  heirs along with the widow. It's not going to look too good for these 2 old folks trying to grab money away from  two adopted vietnamese  orphan girls aged 10 and 14. It's going to be a long drawn out expensive case, and I expect the California courts will most likely act to protect the two minors.  The French adults are going to have a tough time trying to seize assets held in the USA.