THE TELEGRAPH: A French judge will examine whether Europe's richest woman, the elderly heiress to the L'Oreal cosmetics fortune, should be stripped of the right to manage her own affairs after she showered gifts worth almost $1.5 billion on a friend.
Liliane Bettencourt, 87, says she was in full possession of her wits when she lavished cash, artworks and life insurance on photographer and socialite Francois-Marie Banier, 62, but her daughter disagrees and has taken her objections to the courts.
Lawyer Olivier Metzner, who represents the daughter, said that he had launched a civil procedure to try and have Mrs Bettencourt declared irresponsible and placed under the authority of a court-designated tutor.
The move is in addition to a separate criminal case in which the daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, is pressing charges against Mr Banier, accusing him of taking advantage of an old lady's weakness to extort staggering sums from her.
"We have already taken action against the predator. Now we are taking action to protect my client's mother, to show that she is nothing more than a victim," said Mr Metzner. L'Oreal heiress facing scrutiny over $1.5bn gifts to male friend >>> | Tuesday, December 08, 2009
