Published in ListVerse.com
By Selme Angulo on March 3rd 2023
Money will forever be a topic of debate. Some claim it can buy happiness. Others argue the opposite. In reality, the impact of money on living the good life is (a little bit) more nuanced. For many, it depends on how it is acquired. Some people become wealthy through their professional success, hard work, or luck. Others have the privilege of growing up close to great wealth and merely must wait for the chance to inherit it.
That sounds like a good life, doesn’t it? Maybe, but inheritance can often be a very complicated process. The transfer of wealth from one generation to the next can lead to vicious disputes and awful tensions among heirs. After a rich person dies, family members can come out of the proverbial woodwork to compete for a share of the estate.
In this list, you’ll learn about ten of the world’s most vicious and vindictive fights over inherited fortunes. These families battled brutally over billions of dollars—but in the end, did anybody really win?
In some cases, these disputes can drag on for years or even decades. Through it all, there is no guarantee of a favorable outcome. Funds melt away as legal costs mount. Anger among surviving family members only gets more and more intense. For some ultra-wealthy people and their families, inherited fortunes can lead to these unexpected conflicts. In the worst cases, these long-lasting legal battles tear families apart.
Selme Angulo
