Doris Duke's adopted daughter has ended her fight to gain control of the late billionaire's fortune, settling for $65 million.
In a settlement signed Thursday in New York, Chandi Duke Heffner dropped claims to the $1.2 billion estate, said Heffner's lawyer, David Keyko.As part of the deal, Heffner also dropped a breach of contract suit contending that Duke reneged on a promise to support her for life.
Heffner, 42, was adopted by Duke in 1988, but after the two had a falling out, Duke wrote her out of her will. Duke left most of her money to charity and named her butler, Bernard Lafferty, co-executor of the estate.
Fights over Duke's will continue, however. Her former physician, Harry Demopoulos, is seeking to unseat Lafferty as co-executor. Lafferty has been accused of using estate assets to finance lavish living.
Duke died in 1993 at age 80.
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