Fight Over Stieg Larsson’s Estate

Stieg Larsson, deceased author of The Millenium trilogy, lived with Eva Gabrielsson for 32 years. Because they were unmarried, childless, and Larsson never wrote a will, his £20m estate went to his father and brother in accordance with Swedish law.

Gabrielsson has no legal claim, but she has asserted a moral entitlement over Larsson’s literary estate. She also has a laptop containing about ¾ of Larsson’s fourth manuscript and the intense sympathy of the Swedish public. Despite their attempts, Larsson’s brother and father have been unable to reconcile with Gabrielsson. Gabrielsson did not respond to their most recent offer of 20 million kronor ($2.6 million) to settle the dispute.

Although the Larssons and Gabrielsson aren’t on speaking terms, both sides still speak harshly of the other side to the press, turning a family feud into a public display. Like several other celebrity estate planning blunders, Larsson could have prevented years of stress and fighting by writing a legally enforceable will.

See Charles McGrath, The Afterlife of Stieg Larsson, N.Y. Times Magazine, May 23, 2010, at MM24.

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