Leona Helmsley's Dog Loses $10 Million

(CBS/ AP)  Leona Helmsley's dog isn't quite as well-heeled as she used to be.

Manhattan Surrogate Judge Renee Roth has reduced the trust fund for the little dog, named "Trouble," from $12 million to $2 million.

The remaining $10 million now goes to Helmsley's charitable foundation.

The 9-year-old Maltese lives in Florida with Carl Lekic, the general manager of the Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel. Helmsley died last August.

The New York Post, which first reported the story, said Lekic put Trouble's annual cost at $190,000. That figure includes Lekic's $60,000 guardian fee, $100,000 for security, $8,000 for grooming, $3,000 for miscellaneous expenses, $1,200 for food and 2,500 to $18,000 for medical care.

The Post also that Judge Roth also gave $6 million to Helmsely's two disinherited grandchildren.

Roth's decision was made April 30, but only became public on Monday.

[turtle0114]

I believe if you leave a will that should be it....This is what you wanted, no judge or anyone else should have the right to change your wishes...it was her money she did with it what she wanted...so be it

[poorbenjamin]

DemocRats love to hate America. Whathappenedtomycountry.US

[jasonmpp]

Most of the $12mil would have gone to humans like caretakers, groomers, security, lawyers, etc. The dog wouldn''t have gotten much materially anyway (what does it materially receive beside food?)

It''s not like the dog had a choice on how to spend money for its own good like owning a yacht or something.

[ubrew12]

erichsh said: "ubrew12, take your Republican class warfare garbage and stuff it....you might find it within you to acknowledge that she donated over 40 times that much, or over 99% of her total estate, to charity. "

Well put. I didn''t know that. Still, you''re defending the rights of a dog to get $12 million, instead of $2 million. If that''s where your God-fearing Republican values have led you, then I''ll stay a heathen for now. Helmsley, in classic fashion, was saying to her own kin: "you mean less to me than a dog" A psychiatrist would say she felt this way out of a profound sense of self-hatred that she classically projected onto her own ''genes'' rather than her person.

And, writ large, this also explains how Republicans over 30 years have used their control of our national budget to gift over $9 trillion in debt to generations of Americans that weren''t even born when those debts were being built. There''s a profound sense of Republican self-hatred here in America, and its projected onto the young, for the crime of being young and the further crime of being alive.

[ubrew12]

rational_1 said: "Well said! "

Yeah! Way to speak up for the canines among us!

[rational_1]

"If there''''''''s a problem with this society today, its all the rights people like you want to give to people who are no longer people. I''''''''m sorry she''''''''s dead, honestly I am. But, being dead, she doesn''''''''t get a vote on how her money should be invested/managed for the future of a society composed of living people."
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To all the people that think this way, don''''t bother making a will. We''''ve already decided what we''''re going to do with your house after you are gone. Your kids can''''t have it because we''''ve decided there are better things to do with it. Also, your pension survivor''''s benefits should go toward the national debt and maybe help veterans. Forget the college fund if you die early, we know it is better spent supporting 100 people in Darfur than to send your kids to college after you die.
Posted by payasyougo at 08:53 AM : Jun 17, 2008

Well said!

[payasyougo]

"If there''''s a problem with this society today, its all the rights people like you want to give to people who are no longer people. I''''m sorry she''''s dead, honestly I am. But, being dead, she doesn''''t get a vote on how her money should be invested/managed for the future of a society composed of living people."
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To all the people that think this way, don''t bother making a will. We''ve already decided what we''re going to do with your house after you are gone. Your kids can''t have it because we''ve decided there are better things to do with it. Also, your pension survivor''s benefits should go toward the national debt and maybe help veterans. Forget the college fund if you die early, we know it is better spent supporting 100 people in Darfur than to send your kids to college after you die.

[sassalin]

ubrew12,

You forgot a few presidents, CLINTON, in you blame game. You can''t blame a few for what the many created.

[erichsh]

I''ll fix my own math error for usjpn4u''s and ubrew12''s benefit. She actually left 400 times as much money to charity as to her dog, not 40 times.

So for usjpn4u''s benefit, if $10 million can help 200,000 people, then I guess Helmsley''s actual donation will help 80 milllion people.

Those damm, cold-hearted Republicans.

[erichsh]

ubrew12, take your Republican class warfare garbage and stuff it. **** and moan all you want over the .25% of her will that she left to her dog, but you might find it within you to acknowledge that she donated over 40 times that much, or over 99% of her total estate, to charity. That''s $4 billion to help LIVING PEOPLE, in case you can''t do the math. How about those Republican values?