From the nydailynews.com
The two grandchildren cut out of Leona Helmsley's will can put up a fight, but getting even a cent of her $8 billion fortune will be difficult, experts said yesterday.
"Under New York State law, you don't have an obligation to treat all grandchildren fairly," said Linda Hirschorn, an estate planning attorney with Greenberg Traurig.
Craig and Meegan Panzirer were not given anything by Helmsley "for reasons which are known to them," according to the hotel queen's will.
In the 14-page document, Helmsley gave billions to charity and left $10 million to two other grandchildren, $15 million to her brother and, most notably, $12 million to her tiny dog Trouble.
Helmsley even set up a $3 million trust so her final resting place is kept in mint condition.
The two jilted grandchildren - whose late father, Jay Panzirer, was Helmsley's only son - have had a tumultuous relationship with Helmsley.
The Queen of Mean infamously had their mother, Mimi, evicted from a Helmsley property after Panzirer's 1982 funeral.
If Craig and Meegan Panzirer opt to challenge the will, experts said, they must prove the document was improperly executed, crafted under coercion or signed when Helmsley didn't know what she was doing.
"They are all tough things to prove, but they're certainly possible," said Joshua Rubenstein, a partner with the firm Katten Muchin Rosenman.
Jose Martinez