Dennis Hopper's 9-Year Old To Get 40 Percent of Late Father's Estate
Dennis Hopper's nine-year old daughter will get 40 percent of his estate.
Sept. 19, 2012 -- The 9-year old daughter of Dennis Hopper, Galen Hopper, is expected to receive about 40 percent of the late actor's estate, according to his attorney, which at least one report estimates at $2.85 million.
The estate of Hopper, who had been married five times, has been in dispute since his death in 2010 at the age of 74. Hopper had been in a dispute over a divorce settlement with his most recent wife, Victoria Duffy-Hopper, which failed to resolve before his death from advanced prostate cancer.
Joseph Mannis, Hopper's former divorce attorney and one of the lawyers representing his estate, told ABC News that a settlement is expected to be reached in a week then brought before a probate judge for approval. Everyone, including Galen Hopper's attorney, has signed off on the settlement except for one party, whom Mannis declined to reveal.
Hopper's three adult children -- two daughters and one son -- will split about 60 percent, and "small" cash gifts will be distributed. Duffy-Hopper and a long-time employee of the late actor may receive portions of the estate, Mannis said.
Hopper had filed for divorce in January 2010, which led to "nasty allegations" from both he and his former wife, said Danielle Mayoras, attorney co-author of the book "Trial and Heirs" which describes disputed celebrity estates.
"I think we have to give them some credit for resolving this, though even in a good resolution no one is 100 percent happy," Mayoras said.
Though this settlement may resolve the dispute between Hopper's children, the dispute between his estate and his estranged wife will continue, Mannis said.
At one point, it was reported that Duffy-Hopper claimed she was coerced into signing a prenuptial agreement and his children had manipulated him to file for divorce.
Mannis said the entire size of the estate is "in flux," because one of the larger holdings of the estate is artwork created by Hopper. However, Mannis said the estate is a "decent size."
When asked why Hopper's youngest child will receive the largest portion of the estate, Mannis said, "I suspect that that's a result of the fact that the other children he supported them, paid for their schooling, this is a young child who would need more support and not able to obviously take care of herself."
Mannis said Duffy-Hopper will be a co-trustee of his daughter's estate and Galen will have access different amounts of money at various ages.
"That probably gives Dennis Hopper some comfort as well – that [Victoria] will not be using the money for personal use," Mayoras said. "That provides checks and balances so that money will be used for Galen's benefit."