Judge denies Anne Heche's ex James Tupper's bid for guardian role in estate battle with son
Anne Heche's oldest son will remain in his role for now as the temporary special administrator of his mother's estate, a judge ruled Tuesday, denying a bid by the late actress' ex-boyfriend to be named guardian ad litem of her other son, whom he fathered.
The rulings came during a brief hearing before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lee Bogdanoff. Heche's eldest son, 20-year-old Homer Laffoon, is battling with ex-Heche flame James Tupper to administer the estate. Heche and Tupper had a son, Atlas, who is now 13.
(L-R) Homer Laffoon, actor James Tupper and actress Anne Heche attend the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival "My Friend Dahmer" premiere at the ArcLight Santa Monica on June 18, 2017 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
"We are pleased, but not surprised with the court's ruling this morning denying James' petition to appoint himself guardian ad litem for Atlas," Laffoon's lawyer, Bryan Phipps, said after the hearing. "We look forward to the court resolving Homer's petition at the next hearing and, in the meantime, Homer will continue to diligently administer the estate pursuant to his authority as special administrator."
Tupper's lawyer, Chris Johnson, argued that a 20-year-old is unfit to manage an estate, but that brought a rebuke from the judge.
"He's not qualified on what basis? In California, you can be illiterate and be an administrator," the judge said.
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The judge also criticized Tupper for shaking his head after his guardian ad litem petition was denied.
Laffoon's court papers state that Heche had about $400,000 in assets and that he expects about the same amount in residuals and royalties annually.
Laffoon is the son of Heche's ex-husband, 49-year-old producer and real estate broker Coleman Laffoon.
The judge set another hearing for Nov. 30 and extended Laffoon's estate administration authority to Dec. 14.
Actors Anne Heche (R) and James Tupper (L) attend the "Imagine Ball" benefiting Imagine LA at The House of Blues Sunset Strip on June 4, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
Heche died on Aug. 11 at age 53, one week after she crashed her car into a home in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles.