Francis Bacon's sole heir sued Bacon's dealer for up to £100 million, then dropped the case two weeks before trial

Bacon left his estate to John Edwards, a younger friend from London's East End^†. Marlborough Fine Art had been Bacon's dealer for decades^†. In 1998 a High Court judgment cut all links between Marlborough and the estate, and at Edwards's request the artist Brian Clarke became executor. In early 2000 Clarke sued Marlborough Fine Art in London's High Court for breach of fiduciary duty and undue influence. The estate said Marlborough took commissions of up to 70 per cent on Bacon's paintings and asked for a full account of profits. The claim was valued at up to £100 million. A three-month trial was set to start on 18 February 2002. At a hearing on 6 February 2002 the estate dropped the case. Each side paid its own legal costs, which together could have reached £10 million. On 29 May 2002 the John Edwards Charitable Foundation was set up, headed by Clarke. Edwards died in 2003. The estate, run from London, controls Bacon's copyright and archive in 2026^†.