Search

Placeholder Content Image

$900m pay day: Reg Grundy's "long-lost son" reveals DNA test results

<p>A man who claims to be the long-lost son of Reg Grundy has appeared in court for the first time to claim a part of the late TV mogul’s $900 million fortune.</p> <p>Simon Russell, a former mayor of Bayside in Victoria, has joined the legal battle with Grundy’s widow Joy Chambers-Grundy and estranged daughter Viola La Valette over the division of the estate.</p> <p>The three were present at Sydney’s Supreme Court on Wednesday as Russell’s barrister Nicolas Kirby revealed that the result of the DNA test to prove Grundy’s paternity was “inconclusive”.</p> <p>“Sadly, the fortuitously found biological sample... once tested, yielded insufficient DNA to construct a completed profile,” said Kirby.</p> <p>“So those results came back inconclusive.”</p> <p>Justice Geoff Lindsay asked Kirby why he would not do a test with a biological sample from La Valette. “If they are half brother and sister won’t that not show?”</p> <p>Kirby said they had received expert advice that full or half siblings would provide a “statistical likelihood” that they share a parent, but it would be “a poor substitute” and “not conclusive”.</p> <p>He also said testing La Valette could expose her to the possibility that she is not Grundy’s biological daughter.</p> <p>However, Justice Lindsay said this should not be a reason to rule out having the potential sibling tested. “It may be if there is a positive sibling test that comes up, everyone may agree that Mr Russell is technically a child of the deceased,” he said.</p> <p>Grundy, who created popular TV shows such as <em>Wheel of Fortune, </em><em>Scrabbl</em>e and <em>Neighbours</em>, died in 2016 at the age of 92.</p> <p>La Valette, previously Kim Grundy, commenced legal proceedings the following year disputing her father’s will which made Chambers-Grundy the main beneficiary of his estate.</p> <p>La Valette’s lawyers argued that the will was created when Grundy was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.</p> <p>This year, Russell became the second plaintiff against Chambers-Grundy. Despite the striking resemblance to the late TV icon, Russell has remained silent about what led him to believe he could be Grundy’s son. “We’ll get some DNA then will go from there, but there’s no story until the DNA turns up,” he told <a rel="noopener" href="https://10daily.com.au/news/australia/a190522lkbqj/did-tv-icon-reg-grundy-have-a-secret-son-dna-results-are-in-20190522" target="_blank"><em>10 News First</em></a> outside the court.</p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Reg Grundy “love child” joins fight for $880 million inheritance

<p>The late Reg Grundy, who made his fortune off TV hits such as <em>Wheel of Fortune</em> and <em>The Price is Right</em>, has had his children fight over his fortune, which is worth more than $800 million.</p> <p>Now, a man claiming to be Reg’s long-lost son has joined the court battle alongside Reg’s estranged daughter, Viola La Valette, for a piece of the fortune.</p> <p>Until the announcement of the son, it was believed that Reg only had one child with his first wife, but the new plaintiff in the case has turned that theory on its head.</p> <p>Simon Thomas Russel, the son, has gone through the process to search for a biological sample belonging to Reg to prove that he is his son.</p> <p>Russel’s barrister Nicolas Kirby told Justice Geoff Lindsay about the process, according to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/love-child-joins-fight-for-880m-inheritance-of-tv-king-reg-grundy/news-story/cd93b4f2aa0ca20bd7711dd65a22bbff" target="_blank">The Daily Telegraph</a>.</em></p> <p>“We have located such a sample and it is in the possession of (pathology company) Douglass Hanly Moir,” Mr Kirby said.</p> <p>“My client has undergone a similar sampling process to provide his DNA and it’s now at an accredited DNA lab run by Douglass Hanly Moir.”</p> <p>Kirby then told the Justice that in order to complete the testing, they need an affidavit from the executor of Reg’s estate, which is his second wife Carolyn Joy Chambers-Grundy.</p> <p>“The lab is currently withholding the results until it receives the original affidavit from Ms Chambers-Grundy,” Mr Kirby said.</p> <p>Kirby explained that they would have the results within a week after the affidavit was received.</p> <p>Reg’s estranged daughter La Valette is seeking out a 23-year-old letter sent to her from her father which outlined how much she was going to receive.</p> <p>Her barrister Michael Meek SC told the court that they had asked Ms Chambers-Grundy’s lawyers for the letter, but they said it didn’t exist.</p> <p>Meek explained that they are trying to seek copies or drafts of the letter to prove its existence.</p> <p>La Valette began this battle in 2017 when Reg’s second wife was made beneficiary of the massive estate.</p> <p>However, La Valette did not speak to her father for 22 years and is seeking tens of millions on top of the $250,000 she receives annually.</p> <p>Reg was responsible for creating a variety of shows, which include<span> </span><em>Sons and Daughters</em>,<span> </span><em>Neighbours</em>,<span> </span><em>Wheel of Fortune</em>,<span> </span><em>The Price is Right</em> an<em>d The Young Doctors</em>.<span> </span></p>

TV

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.