Tax Lawyer May Not Be So Loyal to L’Oreal Heiress

Liliane Bettencourt is the L’Oreal heiress andFrance’s richest woman.  A French taxlawyer, Fabrice Goguel was suspected of abusing the 89-year-old heiress’sfragile state.  Experts say thather mental faculties started becoming weak in 2006. 

In 1998, Mrs. Bettencourt bought some islands inthe Indian Ocean archipelago for $17.6 million.  Investigators say that Mr. Goguel persuaded Mrs. Bettencourtto give the island and 20 million euros to his Liechtenstein-based Foundationfor Ecological balance.  He has nowbeen charged with swindling Mrs. Bettencourt, and his lawyer argues that he wasonly “’scrupulously execut[ing] the missions that Mrs. Bettencourt charged himwith.’”

See HeiressLiliane Bettencourt ‘tricked into handing over island’, Estate of Denial, Sept.18, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional LegalMarketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.