Outspoken actor and Easy Rider icon Dennis Hopper passed away last week. He was 74 years old. Sadly for the Hopper family, his pending divorce to his wife, Victoria Duffy Hopper, is far from over. Filed on the actor's deathbed last January, the divorce has been saddled with bizarre allegations of abuse, theft and even torture. Before his death, Dennis claimed that even for a man like himself who had been married five times, he never had encountered a divorce like this one.
Victoria claimed that Dennis had been physically violent to her and the couple's 6-year-old daughter. The actor, on the other hand, claimed that Victoria was mentally unbalanced and was granted a restraining order against her in February. Things went from bad to worse as Victoria refused to move out of the couple's home and Dennis filed papers in court claiming that she had stolen more than $1 million of his personal art collection and refused to return it. Finally, in April a court ordered that Dennis must pay Victoria $12,000 per month in spousal and child support. Just days before the actor's death, attorneys for Dennis tried to have his life insurance policy, which listed Victoria as the beneficiary, changed. The judge denied the request.
Now that Dennis has lost his long battle with prostate cancer, the fight for his estate is brewing. He and his legal team wanted to freeze Victoria out of his estate, but the divorce was not finalized before he died. Now it's up to probate courts to decide if Victoria is due a large sum of money from his estate. Lawyers for both sides are prepared for lengthy confrontations in court to settle the matter.
Situations like the Hoppers' are sad and can be complicated. Thankfully, no one has to go through any of this alone. If you or someone you love needs help with probate advice or divorce advice in Pasadena, please contact us. We can help.