Widow Bequests Entire Fortune to Disgraced Catholic Order

Gabrielle Mee, an elderly widow, bequested her entire fortune to a disgraced Roman Catholic order called the Legion of Christ. It was Mee’s niece, Mary Lou Dauray, that alleged that she was influenced by the Legion, and it was her who brought the challenge in court. While the judge in this case determined that is was likely that the Legion unduly influenced Mee to change her will to leave her fortune to them, the court ruled in favor of the organization. The judge determined that Ms. Dauray did not have standing to bring the challenge against the Legion. In fact, the judge noted that there were issues that should be litigated by a trial, but distinctly stated that there could be no trial because the plaintiff lacked standing. 

The Legion of Christ was recently taken over by Pope Benedict the XVI because the church discovered that its leader, Marcial Maciel, was leading a double life. Pope Benedict ordered that the Legion be reformed. In this case, the judge cited evidence that the organization “wooed” Mee. The Legion reportedly offered her many different things, including the privilege of becoming a consecrated member of the organization. In addition, the leader of the organization even invited Mee to join him on trips to Rome and Mexico. In the end, Mee transferred millions to Maciel and the Legion in the form of gifts and bequests. 

See Michelle R. Smith, US Judge Rules in Favor of Legion in Will Dispute, Bloomberg Businessweek, Sept. 14, 2012.

Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) and Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.