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Son Contests Millions left to Chihuahua

The son of millionaire socialite Gail Posner has launched a challenge against the distribution of his mother’s estate after claiming that she was manipulated into changing her Will in 2008 to leave her fortune to her dogs and hired help.

The Will gives her three dogs the right to live in her seven bedroom Miami mansion until they die. It also leaves $27 million to her maids, bodyguards and personal trainers and allows them to remain in the house rent free.

Her son claims that his mother ‘would never have done this unless she was under extreme influence’. Ms Posner was a victim of childhood incest and spent her life battling addiction to drugs and alcohol. Court documents describe her as being ‘a deeply disturbed recluse with serious emotional and psychological problems stemming from her history of being sexually abused’.

There were allegations that, as her health deteriorated following her diagnosis with cancer in 2005, she was imprisoned in her house and cut off from her family. Her son alleges that when the changes were made to her Will shortly before her death she wasn’t mentally capable and was blackmailed by her employees. Her son has produced video evidence from his last visit to his mother’s house where she claimed that her staff were trying to kidnap and kill her and asked her son to get her away from them.

Her son is also claiming against the loss of a $100 million trust fund that was designed to pay the income only to Ms Posner during her lifetime, leaving the capital to her children. At the time of her death she had received the money from the fund and the trust was closed in 2008. He is claiming that distributions made to his mother were not in accordance with the terms of the trust or in accordance with the wishes of the settlor. The company concerned intend to vigorously defend themselves against any allegations. Further hearings are scheduled for later in the year.