Anne Heche's son Homer, 20, granted 'special powers' over her estate amid legal battle with James Tupper
HANCOCK PARK, LOS ANGELES: Anne Heche's son Homer, 20, has been granted authority as the special administrator of his late mother's estate. This comes at the time Homer and Heche's ex James Tupper have been fighting for control over her estate and the guardianship of Heche's 13-year-old son Atlas, whom she shares with Tupper. The 53-year-old actress died without leaving a will.
According to recent court documents acquired by People, Homer, who Heche shares with her ex-husband Coleman Laffoon, was given "special powers" to manage Heche's inheritance after she died of injuries sustained in a car accident on August 11.
RELATED STORIES
According to the documents, Homer is now permitted to "take possession of all the personal property of the estate of the decedent and preserve it from damage, waste, and injury." Within five days of the relocation, he must inventory the property and move it into a storage facility. Additionally, he was given the authority to defend Heche's rights in "the publication agreement" of her upcoming book. Heche's financial information is accessible to Homer, who can also submit her own tax filings. Homer is now able to "commence and maintain or defend" lawsuits and other legal actions, according to the paperwork.
The court "reviewed and considered," according to the document, Tupper's opposition to the increased authority. Tupper had previously objected to Homer's most recent plea for the court to "expand his authority" over the estate of his late mother because of the way Atlas had been treated by Tupper and Heche.
In an earlier statement, Tupper, 57, said that Homer "has acted in a hostile manner" toward his son and Homer's half-brother Atlas and "has refused to communicate with him or his representatives at all." The complaint continued, "Further, Atlas has no confidence in [Homer]'s ability to meet his fiduciary obligations to Atlas."
"On behalf of Atlas, [Tupper] requests that prior to granting [Homer] any powers to take possession of the tangible personal property in the apartment, the Court compels [Homer] to provide an inventory of such personal property to Atlas so it can be determined whether [Homer] actually safeguards all of the Decedent's personal property in the future and conflict can be minimized," the documents read. According to Christopher B Johnson, the attorney for Tupper, Homer already has some of the powers he's asking the court to provide him which they believe "underscores his lack of competence and inability to preserve estate assets."