Well, it appears to be over, the "it" being the fight over guardianship of multimillionaire socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor.
Anthony Marshall, who had been acting as his mother’s guardian, has been "permanently removed" as the guardian of her multimillion-dollar estate. Marshall’s replacement will be Annette de la Renta and the
JPMorgan Chase bank, acting together as guardians of her person and property.
The announcement came as a shock to many, who had expected a lengthy court battle for the guardianship. This summer, Astor’s grandson, Philip Marshall, 54, accused his father of neglect and mishandling Astor’s finance, and filed papers to have him removed as guardian.
Anthony Marshall vehemently denied the charges and claimed that he would fight to prove his innocence. In the end, he didn’t have to fight long. State Supreme Court Justice John Stackhouse ruled today that he found "by clear and convincing evidence that Brooke Astor is in need of guardians for
her property and her persons."
Following on the heels of the Lillian Glasser saga, another member of a wealthy family in America is alleging mistreatment of the rich and famous at the hands of a child. In this case, it is multimillionaire Brooke Astor who is reportedly being mistreated by her 82 year old son. Her grandson, Philip Marshall is claiming that the philanthropist sleeps in tattered gowns on a couch that smells of urine because her son, Anthony Marshall, who controls her fortune will not release funds for better treatment.
And if the Astor name isn’t sensational enough for the papers, the court papers filed by Philip Marshall are seeking to have other big names appointed Ms. Astor’s legal guardian in place of Anthony Marshall: Annette de la Renta, the wife of Oscar de la Renta, and J.P. Morgan Chase bank.
The namedropping doesn’t stop there. According to reports, Henry Kissinger and David Rockefeller have contributed sworn statements used in the court filings.
Hang on to your fancy hats, folks. This court battle, scheduled for an August 8 hearing, promises to be a doozy.
