Mystery plaintiff challenges Karl Lagerfeld’s will, but pampered cat can rest easy | Karl Lagerfeld

The late German-born Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld was known as meticulous, meticulous and vindictive, but his final wishes for those who benefited from his vast fortune could now be overturned from beyond the grave in a looming court battle.

Seven years after Lagerfeld’s death from cancer, an unnamed plaintiff has stepped forward to challenge the haute couture giant’s last will and testament.

According to German media reports, the estate’s executor, Christian Boisson, contacted Lagerfeld’s surviving nephews and nieces to inform them that they could inherit millions if the case is successful. The care provided to her beloved cat before her death will not be affected.

Lagerfeld, who was for decades one of the most influential figures in global high fashion but an enigmatic figure behind dark glasses, had no wife, children or surviving siblings when he died in 2019 at the age of 85.

His will, dated April 29, 2016, left out his deceased siblings’ children and left his accumulated fortune and property, worth approximately €200 million, to a close-knit cadre of confidants.

These are believed to include his assistant and bodyguard Sébastien Jondeau, his teenage godson Hudson Kroenig and models Brad Kroenig and Baptiste Giabiconi. Giabiconi described himself as “at the top” of Lagerfeld’s heirs and said the designer once made an unsuccessful attempt to adopt him.

German magazine Bunte reported that descendants of Lagerfeld’s late sisters Christiane Johnson, who died in 2015, and Thea von der Schulenburg, who married into the aristocratic Schulenburg clan and died in 1997, received letters from the executor.

“The interpretation of the will is challenged,” Boisson wrote, according to Bunte. “Therefore, the rights of the heirs are currently uncertain.”

Lagerfeld lived in Paris and died on the outskirts of Paris, but what he called his main residence remained in Monaco; This meant that French and Monegasque law, which generally designates next of kin as legal heirs, would apply.

However, the plaintiff would have to argue that Lagerfeld, who was born in Hamburg in 1933, was not of sound mind when he signed the will.

German media immediately noted that Lagerfeld’s 14-year-old fluffy pet cat Choupette, which he bought from Giabiconi, could continue to rest comfortably in his luxurious life.

While he was still alive, the designer bequeathed a house and garden in France, as well as a full bank account to his maid, Françoise Caçote, to care for his beloved sapphire-eyed white Birman after his death.

Since the gift was made long before his death, it appears that any legal challenge to his will would be beyond his reach.

Choupette’s gilded lifestyle is legendary; eating off china plates, sleeping on Chanel fabrics, and lounging in Louis Vuitton monogrammed cat carriers.

He has his own verified Instagram account He has 278,000 followers and has earned income as the advertising mascot of companies such as German luxury car giant Audi. When Lagerfeld died, speculation was rife that he was listed as a beneficiary in his will.

Beyond his fortune from couture, Lagerfeld held a number of luxury properties, including his spacious Paris apartment and sumptuous Biarritz villa, and had art and rare book collections, as well as a large stock portfolio.

Little is known about how and when Lagerfeld fell out with his blood relatives, but it is understood they became estranged in the last years of his life. A 2023 BBC Two documentary said he had not seen one of his nephews for fifty years.

But another American niece said that although she did not know Lagerfeld very well, he was “generous” and even designed her wedding dress for free and flew the dress on Concorde so she could be there in time for the ceremony. He told the filmmakers that he expected nothing more from his late uncle: “There’s no need.”

Until his death, Lagerfeld worked on several collections a year for Chanel, Fendi and his own label, Karl Lagerfeld. He said he changed his will frequently while he was still alive: “Even one funny look from someone will get him out.”

This isn’t the first time Lagerfeld’s named beneficiaries have had to worry about being stripped of their inheritance.

Germany’s Bild newspaper reported that French finance authorities are demanding up to 40 million euros in back taxes from his property on the grounds that his primary residence is not in Monaco, a common tax haven.

Boisson could not immediately be reached, but his partner Frédéric Heurté told Bild: “We are committed to confidentiality. Therefore, I am not allowed to comment on anything related to Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy.”

Thea’s daughter Thoma von der Schulenburg, contacted by Bild, also declined to comment.