Formula One legend Niki Lauda’s GBP 445 million legacy has been finalised in a ruling by Austria’s Supreme Court.
Judges upheld a claim by his 45-year-old widow, Birgit Lauda, that she is entitled to a GBP 72 million slice of the inheritance after a five-year legal battle since his death in 2019.
The landmark ruling on 23rd July means Birgit is entitled to a sixth of motor racing icon Lauda’s fortune.
Judges also confirmed that the couple’s 14-year-old twins Max and Mia will be recognised as equal heirs alongside Lauda’s other children, despite not being named in the will.
Birgit’s lawyer Christoph Kerres said: “The Supreme Court rejected the extraordinary legal remedy and upheld the appellate court’s ruling.
“Therefore, the initial judgment remains valid.”
Birgit found herself being manoeuvred out of her husband’s legacy by trustees of the racer’s legacy guardians the Lauda Foundation.
They claimed that because he had not updated his will after the couple’s 2008 wedding to specifically mention his new family, they were excluded from inheriting.
But judges backed Birgit’s claim that under Austrian law a wife and children have to be taken into account whether they are mentioned by name or not in a will.
The Lauda Foundation had been backed in their failed claim by Lauda’s children from his first marriage, Lukas and Mathias, who stood to inherit the lion’s share of his fortune.
Their lawsuit claimed that Birgit was “unworthy of inheritance” because she hid up to 50 priceless works of art and jewellery that once belonged to Lauda, who died in 2019 of kidney failure.
Judges at the Higher Regional Court in Austria rejected the foundation’s case and ordered them to pay up, reported local media.
They further rejected claims that Birgit was “unworthy” to inherit.
Birgit said: “The family never wanted to argue. Everything was simply dragged into the public eye and a lot of things were misrepresented.
“And it has absolutely no place there. The only thing that counts is that I was married to Niki for 11 years and that, under Austrian law, I am entitled to a statutory share of the inheritance as a wife.”
Kerres explained: “According to the law, the compulsory share must be received within one year of the testator’s death.
“The court confirms that Birgit Lauda was not guilty of anything in the inheritance dispute and that she is therefore entitled to her compulsory share.”
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Georgina Jedikovska, Sub-Editor: Georgina Jedikovska, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
