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New wives, nurses and girlfriends

Suspicion. The law it tested: undue influence and capacity.

61 storiesSuspicionUndue influence and capacity
A Rake's Progress: The Young Heir Takes Possession of the Miser's Effects title QS:P1476,en:"A Rake's Progress: The Youn, painting by William Hogarth
A Rake's Progress: The Young Heir Takes Possession of the Miser's Effects title QS:P1476,en:"A Rake's Progress: The Youn. William Hogarth, between circa 1763 and circa 1. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

What did these cases decide about undue influence and capacity?

A will that cuts out a child is sturdier when it repeats an earlier will and a lawyer records the testator's clarity at signing. A health care directive can name who may visit and who must be told of a death, which a conservator then has to follow. A will signed well before a dementia diagnosis is hard to attack for lack of capacity, which is why early signing protects the plan.

Stories
61
Years
406 BCE to 2024
Main subjects
Literature and art, Hollywood and TV, Music and sport
Main regions
North America, Europe, East Asia
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in this gallery, best-known first

Best-known first: cases from 1900 on, then the United States, then Europe, and the people most read about on English Wikipedia each month. Fiction, scripture and legend come last.

Sumner Redstone: Sumner Redstone (cropped)(b)2020 · Los Angeles and BostonSumner Redstone's ex-girlfriend said he was incompetent, the judge disagreed, and his daughter took control of CBS and ViacomSumner Redstone controlled CBS and Viacom through National Amusements, whose voting stock sat in a trust to be run after his death by seven trustees, including Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman.fortune.com and 2 moreHedy Lamarr: Hedy Lamarr publicity photo for the film The Heavenly Body, 19442000 · Casselberry, FloridaHedy Lamarr's adopted son sued in Florida in 2000 over a will that left him nothing from her $3.3 million estateHedy Lamarr died aged 85 at her home in Seminole County, Florida.UPI and 3 morePeter Falk: Peter Falk NBC 1967 You Don't Say! (cropped)2011 · Beverly Hills, CaliforniaPeter Falk's daughter lost a conservatorship fight to his widow and then pushed for a lawPeter Falk played Columbo. He and his first wife, Alyce Mayo, adopted two daughters, Catherine and Jacqueline. In 1977 he married actress Shera Danese. After hip surgery in 2008 he developed dementia.Los Angeles Times and 1 moreGlen Campbell: Glen Campbell 19672017 · Nashville, TennesseeGlen Campbell's wills cut out three of his eight children, and they challenged his capacity after Alzheimer'sGlen Campbell, who sang "Rhinestone Cowboy," was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and died in 2017. His widow, Kimberly, filed a 2006 will naming herself executor. It left the estate to her and five of his eight children.newschannel5.com and 2 moreAnthony Quinn: Anthony Quinn around the 1960s2001 · Boston, MassachusettsAnthony Quinn bought 29 acres on Rhodes in 1960, a Greek court cancelled the sale in 1984, and he died before he was repaidAfter filming on Rhodes, Anthony Quinn bought about 29 acres at Ladiko in 1960 for about £1,500. His lawyer said Queen Frederica and the prime minister endorsed the deal.tovima.com and 4 moreCasey Kasem2014 · St. Anthony's Hospital, Gig Harbor, WashingtonCasey Kasem's wife and children fought over his care until he died, then she took his body to NorwayCasey Kasem, host of "American Top 40", had Lewy body dementia in his last years. His second wife, Jean, and his three children from his first marriage, Kerri, Julie and Mike, fought over his care.abc7.com and 3 moreFred Trump Jr.: Fred Trump Jr. 1966 (cropped)1999 · New Hyde Park, New York, USAFred Trump's grandchildren contested his will in 2000, and Donald Trump and 2 siblings cut off health insurance for them and an ailing babyFred Trump, the father of Donald Trump, died at Long Island Jewish Medical Center on 25 June 1999, aged 93. On 23 March 2000 his grandchildren Mary L.gibsondunn.com and 4 moreRaymond Burr: Raymond-Burr-1968-cropped1993 · his ranch on West Dry Creek Road, near Healdsburg, CaliforniRaymond Burr left everything to his partner Robert Benevides, and a judge threw out his niece's claim of undue influence in 1994Raymond Burr died of cancer on his 40-acre ranch near Healdsburg on 12 September 1993, aged 76.pressdemocrat.com and 3 moreJackson Pollock: Jackson Pollock by Hans Namuth (cropped)1956 · East Hampton (Springs), New YorkJackson Pollock's mistress Ruth Kligman claimed he painted Red, Black & Silver for her weeks before his 1956 crash, and his widow Lee Krasner and the Pollock-Krasner board rejected itOn 11 August 1956 Pollock, aged 44, drove his Oldsmobile with two passengers, Edith Metzger and his mistress, the artist Ruth Kligman, less than a mile from his home. The car crashed. Pollock and Metzger died. Kligman survived.The Art Newspaper and 3 moreGroucho Marx: Groucho Marx - portrait1977 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaGroucho Marx's companion lost the fight over his estate, and his heirs lost the rights to his actErin Fleming, an aspiring actress, went to work for Groucho Marx after a series of assistants quit. Producer Jerry Davis referred her. She moved from errands to managing his business and his public appearances.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 2 moreBob Crane: Bob Crane Colonel Hogan 19691978 · Scottsdale, ArizonaBob Crane was bludgeoned to death in 1978, left everything to his estranged second wife, and the 1994 acquittal and 2016 DNA retest never named a killerBob Crane was found beaten to death in a Scottsdale apartment on 29 June 1978 while touring in the play Beginner's Luck. An electrical cord was tied around his neck. No forced entry was found and nothing of value was missing.CNN and 3 moreWendy Williams: Wendy Williams WBLS 2022 (cropped)2022 · New York, USAWendy Williams has been under a guardianship since 2022 and is still asking a New York court to end itWendy Williams hosted a daily talk show for 13 years. In 2022 a New York court placed her under guardianship, and lawyer Sabrina Morrissey became her guardian.atlantablackstar.com and 3 moreEtta James: Etta James042012 · Riverside Community Hospital, Riverside, CaliforniaEtta James's husband and her son fought in court over her $1 million while she was dying of leukemiaEtta James married Artis Mills in 1969. Mills spent several years in prison after taking sole blame for drugs in an arrest that also involved James.thegrio.com and 4 moreNichelle Nichols: Nichelle Nichols (4505899674) (cropped)2022 · Silver City, New MexicoNichelle Nichols's son became her conservator in 2019 and fought her manager in court; after her 2022 death a jury awarded her family $13 million, capped at $400,000Nichelle Nichols was diagnosed with dementia in early 2018. After a dispute over her manager and caretaker, Gilbert Bell, her son Kyle Johnson petitioned for conservatorship, and a Los Angeles court granted it in January 2019.abqjournal.com and 4 moreCelia Cruz: Celia Cruz 1957 color2003 · Fort Lee, New JerseyCelia Cruz left everything to her husband; one of her executors sued the other for draining his money while he had dementiaCelia Cruz died of a brain tumor at 77. Her will named her husband of 41 years, trumpeter Pedro Knight, as sole beneficiary. It named two co-executors: her manager, Omer Pardillo, and Luis Falcón, a young man close to the couple.CBS News and 4 moreThomas Kinkade: ThomasKinkade2012 · Monte Sereno, CaliforniaThomas Kinkade's girlfriend produced handwritten notes leaving her his mansion and $10 million, and his estranged wife said he was drunk when he wrote themKinkade sold his paintings as prints, licensed products and gallery franchises. He was separated from his wife, Nanette, and living with his girlfriend, Amy Pinto-Walsh, when he died at 54.CBS News and 3 moreCharley Pride: Charley-Pride 19812020 · Dallas, TexasCharley Pride's son by a flight attendant was left out of the will, barred from the funeral, and sued the widow of 60 yearsCharley Pride died of COVID-19 complications at 86. He had been married to Rozene Pride for more than 60 years and had three children with her.nbcdfw.com and 3 moreAlain Delon: Alain Delon 19612024 · Douchy-Montcorbon, Loiret, FranceAlain Delon's three children fought over his care and his two wills, and in 2026 two of them were fined for secretly recording the thirdAlain Delon's 2015 will split his estate, which Le Monde put at several tens of millions of euros, 50% to his daughter Anouchka and 25% each to his sons Anthony and Alain-Fabien.Le Monde and 6 moreNorman Jewison: A portrait of Norman Jewison taken by Gail Harvey. (48198901241) (cropped)2024 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaNorman Jewison's three children sued after he changed his will two months before his death in 2024; the claims were settled by mediation and never tested in courtNorman Jewison died aged 97. CBC News reported in 2025, from lawsuits it obtained, that his estate was estimated at $30 million. The suits allege that his second wife, Lynne St.cbc.ca and 3 moreZelda Fitzgerald: Zelda Fitzgerald (1923 Portrait) Retouched1948 · Asheville, North CarolinaZelda Fitzgerald died locked in a fifth-floor room when fire destroyed Highland Hospital in 1948; nine women died and no one was chargedZelda Fitzgerald, 47, was a patient at Highland Hospital, a sanatorium that Duke University's neuropsychiatric department took over in 1939.dncr.nc.gov and 2 moreT. S. Eliot: Thomas Stearns ('T.S.') Eliot with his sister and his cousin, by Lady Ottoline Morrell (died 1938). See source website for additional information.1965 · London, EnglandT. S. Eliot's 1,131 letters to Emily Hale stayed sealed at Princeton for 60 years, and Harvard released his own denial the same dayEmily Hale, Eliot's companion for decades, gave his letters to Princeton under an agreement that they stay closed for 50 years after the later death of either of them.pwb.princeton.edu and 3 moreFrancis Bacon: Portrait of Francis Bacon.label QS:Len,"Portrait of Francis Bacon."1992 · MadridFrancis Bacon's sole heir sued Bacon's dealer for up to £100 million, then dropped the case two weeks before trialBacon left his estate to John Edwards, a younger friend from London's East End. Marlborough Fine Art had been Bacon's dealer for decades.The Art Newspaper and 4 moreRobert E. Howard: Robert E. Howard1936 · Cross Plains, TexasRobert E. Howard shot himself in June 1936 and his mother died a day or two later; a will naming a friend was reportedly lost, and the Conan rights passed to a nurse's daughterRobert E. Howard, 30, shot himself on 11 June 1936 outside the family house in Cross Plains, Texas, while his mother, Hester, lay comatose.UPI and 2 moreDarryl F. Zanuck: Darryl F. Zanuck 19641979 · Palm Springs, CaliforniaA French woman sued Darryl F. Zanuck's estate for $15 million in 1980, saying his son had her cut from the will; the case ended in 1988 with her claim going to a universityDarryl F. Zanuck died in 1979 while living with his wife, Virginia. In 1980 Genevieve Gilles (reported in 1983 as Genevieve Gillaizeau) filed a $15 million claim against his estate.UPI and 4 moreMartha Raye: Martha Raye 1951 press photo1994 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaMartha Raye married a man 33 years younger and left him her $2 million estate, after her daughter sued for conservatorshipMartha Raye died of pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai on 19 October 1994, aged 78. She had had Alzheimer's disease, a 1990 stroke and liver disease. Her left leg was amputated in October 1993 and her right in February 1994.americanhistory.si.edu and 3 morePat Bowlen2019 · Denver, ColoradoPat Bowlen's trust was meant to keep the Broncos in his family; two daughters and his brother sued, and the team was soldPat Bowlen bought the Broncos in 1984. Alzheimer's forced him to step aside in 2014. A three-person trust led by team president Joe Ellis ran the team.cpr.org and 2 moreHuguette Clark: Huguette Clark (crop)2011 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USAHuguette Clark's second will cut out her relatives and left her nurse about $30 million, and the relatives settled for $34.5 millionHuguette Clark, a painter, was the youngest daughter of William A. Clark, a Montana senator whose fortune came from copper mining.NBC News and 5 moreEmily Dickinson: Black-white photograph of Emily Dickinson21886 · Amherst, MassachusettsEmily Dickinson's poems were edited by her brother's mistress, and her sister sued the mistress for a strip of landAfter Emily Dickinson died, her sister Lavinia found hundreds of unpublished poems. Mabel Loomis Todd, the lover of Emily's brother Austin, edited the first published volumes in the 1890s.archive.emilydickinson.org and 3 moreAI illustration: A stone farmhouse in the Val di Chiana, Tuscany, with a writing desk at an open window, 20062006 · Oliveto, Tuscany, ItalyMuriel Spark left her entire estate to her companion Penelope Jardine and took steps to leave her only son nothingMuriel Spark died on 13 April 2006 at 88. Her son, Samuel Robin Spark, was born in July 1938 and raised by her parents from the age of seven. In March 1998 the Observer reported a feud between them over her Jewish origins.manuscripts.nls.uk and 3 moreAI illustration: The Manhattan Surrogate's Court building on Chambers Street, 19861983 · Fort Pierce, FloridaA Johnson & Johnson heir left $400 million to the maid he married, and his six children suedJ. Seward Johnson I was an heir to Johnson & Johnson. In 1971, aged 76, he married Barbara "Basia" Piasecka, 34, a Polish immigrant he had hired as a cook, who then became chambermaid and then his art curator.UPI and 3 moreRobert Indiana2018 · Vinalhaven, MaineRobert Indiana was sued the day before he died alone on a Maine island, and his LOVE estate spent years in courtIndiana spent his last decades in a former Odd Fellows hall on Vinalhaven called Star of Hope. On 18 May 2018, the day before he died, the Morgan Art Foundation, which held rights to his images, sued in New York.maine.gov and 3 moreGeorgia O'Keeffe1986 · Santa Fe, New MexicoGeorgia O'Keeffe's late codicils left most of a $65 million estate to her assistant, 58 years younger, and her family suedIn 1973 a young potter, Juan Hamilton, came to work for Georgia O'Keeffe at her New Mexico home. He was 58 years younger. As her eyesight failed he became her assistant and companion.UPI and 3 moreTennessee Williams: Tennessee Williams NYWTS1983 · New York CityTennessee Williams left his $10 million estate to Sewanee and his brother $25,000; the brother sued for undue influence and settled for $100,000Tennessee Williams signed his will in September 1980 and changed it slightly that December. It was filed in March 1983 with an estate of about $10 million.new.sewanee.edu and 4 moreCornelius Vanderbilt: Cornelius Vanderbilt Daguerrotype2 (cropped)(b)1877 · 10 Washington Place, New York CityCornelius Vanderbilt left nearly all of $100 million to one son, and the son he passed over argued spiritualism had unhinged himCornelius Vanderbilt built a fortune in steamships and then railroads, including the New York Central. He died worth about $100 million.American Heritage and 3 moreRobert Walser: Robert Walser, in Zürich, around 1900.1956 · Herisau, SwitzerlandRobert Walser was found dead in the snow in 1956 after 23 years in an asylum, and his guardian Carl Seelig controlled the microscripts until 1962Robert Walser entered the Herisau asylum in 1933 under a diagnosis of schizophrenia. On 25 December 1956 children found his body in the snow on one of his long walks. He was 78.vqronline.org and 4 moreAmes Mansion Borderland: Ames Mansion, Borderland State Park, Easton, MassachusettsFiction · 2019 · Massachusetts, USA (setting)In Knives Out, a novelist leaves everything to his nurse, his grandson frames her so the slayer rule will cut her out, and the plan failsKnives Out is a 2019 mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson. Harlan Thrombey, an 85-year-old crime novelist, dies the morning after his birthday party at his Massachusetts mansion.thewealthadvisor.com and 2 moreLillian Leitzel: Lillian Leitzel (1931)1931 · Copenhagen, Denmark; Long Beach, CaliforniaLillian Leitzel fell to her death in 1931, and her widower Alfredo Codona shot his third wife and himself in 1937 during a property splitLillian Leitzel, a Ringling Bros. aerialist, fell on 13 February 1931 at the Valencia Music Hall in Copenhagen when the swivel holding her rope broke. She died two days later, aged 39.circusringoffame.org and 3 moreJean-Paul Sartre: Jean Paul Sartre 19651980 · Paris, FranceSartre adopted Arlette Elkaïm and made her his heir, so Simone de Beauvoir had no legal say over his work and adopted a daughter of her ownIn 1956 Arlette Elkaïm, a student from Algeria, wrote to Jean-Paul Sartre; they had a brief affair, and he helped her stay in Paris when her father ordered her home for an arranged marriage.jffp.pitt.edu and 3 morePearl S. Buck: Pearl S. Buck - 19601973 · Danby, VermontPearl S. Buck left three contradictory wills, a dance instructor and her seven adopted children fought for six years, and a Vermont court found undue influencePearl S. Buck met Theodore F. Harris, a 32-year-old dance instructor, in 1963, when she was 70. In 1964 she founded the Pearl S. Buck Foundation and named him chief executive.inquirer.com and 4 moreLuciano Pavarotti: Luciano Pavarotti 20042007 · Modena, ItalyPavarotti left three wills, and his daughters challenged the share of his second wife until a 2008 settlementLuciano Pavarotti had three daughters, Lorenza, Cristina and Giuliana, from his 35-year marriage to Adua Veroni. In 2003 he married Nicoletta Mantovani, with whom he had a fourth daughter, Alice. He died of pancreatic cancer at 71.foxnews.com and 3 moreRainer Werner Fassbinder: PER51895 0611982 · Munich, West GermanyFassbinder's first wife said the head of his foundation invented a marriage to him to control his estate, and 25 colleagues demanded she resignRainer Werner Fassbinder died in Munich on 10 June 1982, aged 37, leaving about 40 films and many plays. His copyrights passed to his mother, Liselotte Eder, and his father, Helmuth Fassbinder.presseportal.de and 3 moreW. Somerset Maugham: Maugham retouched1965 · FranceSomerset Maugham tried to disinherit his daughter in 1962 to adopt his secretary Alan Searle; a 21-month case in British and French courts barred the adoptionSomerset Maugham, in his late 80s, was cared for by his secretary and companion Alan Searle. Around the time of his 1962 memoir Looking Back, which denied that Liza was his daughter, he tried to disinherit her and adopt Searle.spectator.com and 3 moreSarita Kenedy East: Sarita Kenedy East, rancher and philanthropist of South Texas1961 · Kenedy County, Texas, USA (died in New York City)Ranch heiress Sarita Kenedy East left her fortune to a foundation controlled by a Trappist monk, and more than 200 people claimed to be her heirsSarita Kenedy East, granddaughter of the rancher Mifflin Kenedy, was heir to part of the Kenedy Ranch and had no children.Internet Archive and 2 moreRichard Wright: Portrait of Richard Wright1960 · Eugene Gibez clinic, ParisRichard Wright died in a Paris clinic in 1960; his daughter and friends said the US government may have had him killedRichard Wright, 52, went to the Eugene Gibez clinic in Paris with stomach pain and amoebic dysentery and died that night, 28 November 1960. The recorded cause was a heart attack. He had no known heart trouble.fbeyes.wustl.edu and 3 moreAI illustration: Carlton House Terrace, London2023 · LondonA 2014 letter said the four Hinduja brothers owned everything jointly, and the eldest brother's daughters fought it through his dementia and deathSrichand Hinduja was the eldest of four brothers leading the Hinduja Group. On 2 July 2014 he and his brothers Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok signed a letter stating that assets held in any one brother's name belonged to all four.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 3 moreAI illustration: Longleat House, Wiltshire2020 · Longleat, Wiltshire; Bristol Business and Property CourtsThe Marquess of Bath's trustees asked the High Court in 2026 to let his surrogate-born son into the Longleat trustsHenry Thynne, 6th Marquess of Bath, inherited Longleat in 1946 with about £700,000 in death duties. In 1949 he opened it as the first stately home in Britain run as a commercial attraction.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 3 morePrince Francis of Teck: Francis of Teck1910 · London and Windsor, EnglandA prince left the family emeralds to his mistress in 1910, and every senior British royal will has been sealed sincePrince Francis of Teck, brother of Queen Mary, died in 1910. His will named his mistress, the Countess of Kilmorey, as sole heir and left her the Cambridge emeralds, family jewels.Courts and Tribunals Judiciary and 4 moreLeopold II of Belgium: Leopold II, King of the Belgians by Alexander Bassano (1889)1909 · Laeken, BelgiumLeopold II owned the Congo personally, married his 26-year-old mistress five days before he died, and his daughters sued for the moneyFrom 1885 to 1908 King Leopold II ruled the Congo Free State as his own property. Forced labour for rubber caused millions of deaths. Under international pressure Belgium annexed the territory in 1908.Wikipedia (English) and 2 moreLouis Henri, Prince of Condé: French: Portrait en pied du duc de Bourbon, en tenue de lieutenant général title QS:P1476,fr:"Portrait en pied du duc de1897 · Chantilly, Oise, FranceThe last Prince of Condé was found hanged after willing Chantilly to an 8-year-old prince, who later gave it to the Institut de France while in exileLouis Henri de Bourbon, the last Prince of Condé, owned Chantilly, north of Paris. His English mistress, Sophie Dawes, Baronne de Feuchères, persuaded him to sign a will in 1829.Wikipedia (English) and 5 moreMuhammad V of Kelantan: Sultan Muhammad V dari Kelantan pada tahun 20132019 · Kota Bharu, Kelantan, MalaysiaKelantan's council made the sultan's son sultan while the father lay ill, and the father asked the Federal Court to give his throne backSultan Ismail Petra had ruled Kelantan since 1979. He suffered a stroke in May 2009. On 24 May 2009 his eldest son, Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra, was appointed regent.Internet Archive and 5 moreIvan III of Russia: Ivan III of Russia 31509 · Moscow, RussiaIvan III crowned his grandson Dmitry as heir in 1498, then made his son Vasily heir and kept the grandson under guard until he died in 1509Ivan III's eldest son, Ivan the Young, married Elena, daughter of Stephen the Great of Moldavia, on 12 January 1483. Their son Dmitry was born that October.azbyka.ru and 2 moreAI illustration: Royal officers arrive at the Château de Chenonceau with a deed to take it back for the crown, 15591559 · Château de Chenonceau, Indre-et-Loire, FranceChenonceau was taken for a royal debt, taken from a king's mistress by his widow, and auctioned to a bank after its owner's ruinThomas Bohier, a royal finance officer, and his wife Catherine Briçonnet built Chenonceau in the 1510s. An audit found money diverted in his accounts, and the king claimed nearly 190,000 livres from his heirs.chenonceau.com and 2 moreAI illustration: Lotte World Tower above the Seoul skyline2020 · Tokyo and SeoulLotte's 93-year-old founder fired his younger son, the shareholders kept the son, and a court put the father under guardianshipShin Kyuk-ho founded Lotte in Japan and built it into a conglomerate controlled through Tokyo-based Lotte Holdings. His elder son, Shin Dong-joo, ran the Japanese side; his younger son, Shin Dong-bin, ran Korea.The Korea Herald and 2 moreMap of Tanzania, marked on the globe2019 · Dubai, UAE; estate in Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaTanzanian tycoon Reginald Mengi's will left his estate to his second wife and their twins, and the High Court threw it outReginald Mengi died in Dubai on 2 May 2019, aged 75. A relative, Benson Benjamin Mengi, and three others filed Probate Case No. 39 of 2019 in the High Court at Dar es Salaam to be appointed under his will.theeastafrican.co.ke and 2 moreSun Hung Kai Centre at night: Hong Kong Sun Hung Kai Centre at night.1990 · Hong KongSun Hung Kai's eldest son was kidnapped for a record ransom, then removed as chairman by his mother, who controlled the family's sharesKwok Tak-seng founded Sun Hung Kai Properties. After his death in 1990 his sons Walter, Thomas and Raymond ran it.hkexnews.hk and 3 moreDunrobin Castle, where the story took place1892 · Dunrobin Castle, SutherlandThe 3rd Duke of Sutherland left his fortune to his second wife, and she went to Holloway prison for contemptGeorge Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland, owned Dunrobin, Trentham and Stafford House. His first wife Anne died on 25 November 1888.UK Parliament, Hansard and 4 moreCock Lane ghost: Cock Lane as seen in MEMOIRS OF EXTRAORDINARY POPULAR DELUSIONS AND THE Madness of Crowds, 18521760 · Cock Lane, Smithfield, London, EnglandKent inherited his dead lover's money, and her "ghost" accused him of poisoning her; a London jury convicted the ghost's handlers in 1762Kind 1. William Kent, a Norfolk innkeeper and moneylender, married Elizabeth Lynes, who died in childbirth. Canon law barred him from marrying her sister Fanny because Elizabeth had borne him a living child.Project Gutenberg and 2 morePedro de Valdivia: Pedro de Valdivia1553 · Tucapel, ChilePedro de Valdivia's wife waited 27 years in Spain, learned on her voyage that he was dead, and the governor married to his former mistress did not pay her pensionMarina Ortiz de Gaete was born in Zalamea de la Serena, Extremadura, in 1509 and married Pedro de Valdivia in 1527. He left for the Indies and she stayed.memoriachilena.gob.cl and 3 moreSophocles: Sophocles pushkin406 BCE · Athens, GreeceCicero says Sophocles' son sued to take his estate on the ground that he was senile, and Sophocles read his new play to the courtSophocles kept writing tragedies into his nineties. Cicero says his sons took him to court and asked the judges to remove his control of the family property because he was neglecting it through dementia.livingpoets.awh.durham.ac.uk and 3 moreZoe Porphyrogenita: Zoe mosaic Hagia Sophia1041 · Constantinople (Istanbul), TurkeyEmpress Zoe adopted Michael V as her heir, he exiled her, and the people of Constantinople had him blinded in 1042Zoe was a daughter of Emperor Constantine VIII of the Macedonian dynasty. Her first husband, Romanos III, drowned in his bath in 1034 after she had plotted with her lover Michael, who then married her and became Michael IV.sourcebooks.fordham.edu and 2 moreRose Hall (Jamaica): Rose Hall, the estate house of a former sugar plantation, in Jamaica.Legend · 1827 · Rose Hall, near Montego Bay, JamaicaJamaican legend says the mistress of Rose Hall murdered her husbands; the records say her husband died in debt and she sold her claim for £200The White Witch of Rose Hall is a legend. It says Annie Palmer, trained in witchcraft, murdered three husbands and enslaved men and was killed by an enslaved man, Takoo. The records tell another story.jamaicagreathouses.com and 2 more