Dennis Hopper Fighting Cancer and Accusations Surrounding His Estate

Actor Dennis Hopper, 73, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  The cancer is reportedly terminal.  His illness appears to have started an estate planning fight:

• Hopper recently filed for divorce from Victoria Huffy, his wife of 14 years, despite appearances that the couple was happily married.
• Duffy will receive 40% of Hopper’s estate if she is his wife when he passes away, but only 25% if they are divorced, according to a prenuptial agreement. 
• Last week, Duffy filed papers in a Los Angeles Court claiming that friends and family who stand to inherit more money if Hopper and Duffy are divorced have brainwashed Hopper into removing her from the picture.
• Duffy does not think Hopper is capable of caring for himself, their six-year old daughter, or his financial and legal affairs.
• A friend of the couple has stated that Hopper filed for divorce as a pre-emptive move because Duffy demanded that he rewrite his will and give her a larger portion of his estate.  

See The Independent, Hopper’s dramatic Hollywood ending, Jan. 20, 2010. 

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this to my attention.