Viciously cruel mothers exist outside of Disney tales. An NY couple with a net worth of $250 million adopted an infant girl, Emily, from China in 1996. As part of the adoption, they promised to provide for her in their estate planning documents and to create a separate trust for her. Sadly, the adoptive father died soon thereafter, leaving his much younger wife with Emily and their 5 biological children.
The widow, who has gained notoriety by spending $33 million dollars to purchase 10 of the Thimble Islands in Long Island Sound, claimed to have difficulty with Emily's behavior and enrolled her in a special needs school. This was after allegedly making her sleep in a tent outside for a week for misbehavior and not including her win family dinners with the other children (and after adopting and giving up another son). Eventually, the widow allowed Emily to be adopted by a different family.
Te new adoptive parents eventually learned about the trusts created when Emily was adopted and sought a court order enforcing them. The widow fought the order but an NY court held that the father had intended to include her in his estate.
Several points:
1. The widow must have taken parenting classes from Cinderella.
2. The Thimble Islands are story book-esque (see the pictures).
3. Emily's $40+ million future inheritance should buy her a lot of therapy. I suspect she will need it.
