Two months after famed fitness guru Richard Simmons died suddenly on July 13, his brother, Leonard “Lenny” Simmons, and longtime house manager, Teresa Reveles, are fighting over his estate.
Reveles claims she was removed from her role as co-trustee by Lenny and his wife Cathy and wants to be reinstated. The couple says ‘Teresa’s greed’ is ‘endangered'[ing] to tarnish Richard’s incredible legacy.”
What just happened?
According to court documents obtained by Yahoo Entertainment, Reveles filed a petition in Los Angeles Supreme Court on September 25 to be reinstated as co-trustee of Richard’s estate.
In the filing, she says she was Richard’s best friend and live-in companion for nearly 36 years, and was appointed co-trustee along with Lenny. When Richard died – due to complications from recent falls – she claims Lenny and his wife devised an “evil plan” to gain “sole control” of the trust.
The day after Reveles discovered Richard dead, she claims that Lenny and his wife, who had not visited the aerobics king in more than six years, arrived in Los Angeles and immediately wanted to discuss legal matters. She was “distraught” and postponed a meeting until July 18.
On the day of the meeting, the housekeeper claims that Lenny told her that being a trustee was a big responsibility, requiring a lot of paperwork to be prepared for lawyers, and that if she “made a mistake, she would lose part of her inheritance ” as the beneficiary of the meeting. the estate. In her “fragile emotional state,” having just seen Richard’s body, Reveles signed the paperwork stripping her of her role as co-trustee, saying she didn’t realize she would have no say in decision-making.
Reveles claims she was “coerced and fraudulently induced to sign.” She was not shown a copy of the trust, no attorney was present and English is not her native language, according to the filing. As a result, she wants to be reinstated as co-trustee and, while that is pending, stop Lenny from profiting from Richard’s image and likeness.
Reveles’ attorney did not respond to a request for further comment on the filing.
How did Richard’s brother react?
Tom Estey, a spokesperson for the Simmons family, shared a statement with Yahoo calling Reveles’ allegations “demonstrably false.”
“Richard’s message was always one of joy and positivity. “He would be heartbroken to learn of Teresa’s greed and offended that she would undermine their three decades of supposed friendship in such a public manner,” it began. heritage, which we are working hard to preserve.”
The statement continued: “Richard cared for Teresa impeccably and ensured she was well cared for even after his passing. She is a major beneficiary of his will. She made a well-considered decision to decline to serve as co-trustee of the estate, which does not affect her status as a beneficiary at all.”
Furthermore, Estey blasted Reveles for continuing to live in Richard’s house two months after his death, even though she has her own home, and accused her of “attempting.”[ing] to charge the estate for her living expenses.” Reveles is also accused of pitching a Netflix documentary about Richard that would be “hurtful” to his legacy.
The statement concluded: “When the court is informed of the facts already communicated to Teresa’s attorney, we are confident that the court will deny the request.”
According to court records, a hearing will take place at 8:30 a.m. on December 4 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in LA.
What do we know about Richard’s death?
The unique TV personality – who retreated in his final years, leading to speculation about his well-being in podcasts (such as the one from 2017) I miss Richard Simmons) and on social media – collapsed on the floor of his home on July 11. He spent the entire next day in bed. On July 13, Reveles found him unconscious on the bedroom floor and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His cause of death was determined to be due to blunt force trauma, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release on August 22. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
Arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, in which the arteries harden and narrow, was listed as a contributing condition. Prescription drugs in his system did not appear to have “contributed to the cause of death,” it was noted.
At the time of Richard’s death, Lenny praised Reveles to People magazine, saying she was “extremely loyal and trustworthy.” She loved my brother, and he loved her. We are blessed to have Teresa in our lives.”
