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He was isolated from friends and family during his older years, and now that he’s dead, a huge battle is brewing over his estate. Here’s everything we know so far.
Richard Simmons’ House Manager Says She Was “Pressured” Into Signing Papers After Fitness Guru’s Death
On July 13, the world learned of the sudden passing of celebrity fitness guru Richard Simmons.
Two months later and his house manager Teresa Reveles and brother Leonard “Lenny” Simmons are battling over his estate. You see, even though many are suspecting Teresa kept Richard isolated from friends and family against his will, he did make her a co-trustee of his estate, alongside his brother, before he died.
However, according to Teresa, the family squeezed her out of her co-trustee duties and she’s now fighting to get it back.
In new court documents, Teresa claims she was “misled” and “pressured” into signing papers that removed her as a co-trustee. She claimed that since English was not her first language, they should have made her aware of the implications of the document before asking her to sign it.
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She accused Lenny and his wife of hatching a “nefarious” plot to cheat her out of her role as co-trustee by scaring her.
They allegedly told her that being a trustee was a big responsibility that required preparing a lot of paperwork for lawyers, and if “she made any mistake, she would lose part of her inheritance” as a beneficiary of the estate. Per her statement, this happened almost immediately after viewing Richard’s body at the funeral home.
As a result of her “fragile emotional state” at the time, she signed the papers to remove herself as a trustee of the estate. However, she’s now fighting to be reinstated, claiming she had no lawyer present. She also petitioned to block Lenny from profiting off of Richard’s likeness.
Richard Simmons’ House Manager Accused of Harming Late Fitness Guru’s Legacy With Her “Greed”
In response to Teresa’s accusations, a spokesperson for the Simmons’ family, Tom Estey, shared a statement.
“Richard’s message was always one of joy and positivity. He would be heartbroken to learn of Teresa’s greed and insulted that she would diminish their three decades of supposed friendship in such a public way,” it began. “Her actions threaten to harm Richard’s incredible legacy, which we are working hard to preserve.”
The statement continued, “Richard took impeccable care of Teresa and made sure even after his passing that she was well taken care of. She is a significant beneficiary of his will.
She made an informed decision to decline to serve as co-trustee of the estate, which does not affect her status as a beneficiary at all.”
The family further accused Teresa of continuing to live in Richard’s residence two months after his death, despite having her own, and even trying to charge her living expenses on the family.
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