Shupet Lagerfeld and other millionaire cats: how to leave a legacy to a pet
'03.03.2019'
Source: News
To whom it is more logical to transfer the acquired: to a distantly familiar distant relative or beloved pet? For the famous designer Karl Lagerfeld, Deceased 19 February 2019 of the yearThe answer was obvious. Being a lonely man, the couturier left part of his multi-million dollar fortune to his pet, cat Shupett.
Judging by the reaction to this news in the media and social networks, the latest will of the fashion designer has puzzled many. “Izvestia” understood where the fashion went from to mention the smaller brothers in the will, how do orphaned and wealthy beasts live, and whether such cases are possible in Russian practice, tell News.
Shugett Lagerfeld (this is how the legendary designer's pet is named in the Instagram profile) has plunged into mourning. It is not known what exactly the eight-year-old Burmese cat feels in connection with the death of the elderly owner, but someone from the departed representatives took care that her sadness was obvious: in his account the animal poses in a mourning veil. Subscribers, of which more than 240 thousand, vigorously express Shupett condolences.
Lagerfeld bequeathed part of the state of his cat
Lagerfeld repeatedly confessed his love for the nursery, who accidentally entered his life, but immediately melted his heart. So there is nothing particularly surprising in the fact that Choupett was among the heirs to the state of the designer; In 2011, a friend, a dummy Baptiste Giaciconi, asked Karl to look after the animals. Reaped with a beautiful animal, the elderly fashion designer was conquered and refused to give Shupett to the rightful owner. Since then, the cat has lived better than most people on the planet: two personal maids, an exquisite menu, flights on private jets, iPads with special cat games, shooting in promotional photo shoots both with the owner and as the main model.
Schupett was called the most spoiled cat in the world. And its owner would say that he would marry her if that were allowed by law. It is worth noting that Lagerfeld was never married and had no children. After his partner Jacques de Basher’s death in 1989, the fashion designer lived alone, surrounded only by servants.
So it is only natural that the representative of the cat family became one of the beneficiaries under the Lagerfeld will. The state of the designer is estimated at $ 150 million. It is not known how much couturier has provided for Schupett. Other beneficiaries, on the last will of Lagerfeld, are supposed to be his 11-year-old godfather Hudson Kroenig and charitable foundations.
How does it work?
Legislation of different countries provide for different ways of transferring the acquired to non-hominid heirs.
One of the most common forms is the creation of a pet trust. As in the case of a trust fund created for the inheritance of family welfare by a representative of homo sapiens, an asset manager and a guardian (a person caring for the heir and requesting funds in his favor) will be provided for in a “bestial” trust. The testator transfers his property to the trust in favor of a third party (in this case, the muzzle), and the manager undertakes to act in the interests of the foundation and the beneficiary. A nice bonus: in contrast to the simple transfer of a bequest acquired under a will, the trust protects the hereditary heir from the financial claims of other relatives of the deceased, creditors and even the state.
Such funds, including pet trusts, are provided for by the laws of the United States and many European countries. But not in France, where Lagerfeld lived and worked; Once during an interview, the designer told a journalist about plans to make Schupett his heir, and the interviewee reminded him of this fact. “Well, then I was lucky that I was not a Frenchman,” answered Lagerfeld, who was born in Hamburg. The French edition of Le Figaro believes that the pet trust for Schupett, if any, was organized just in Germany (where this form of inheritance is legally possible).
In countries where pet trusts have long been allowed, the possibilities for arranging the fate of orphaned pets are almost endless. Christopher Burns, an inheritance expert at the American law firm Henson Efron, says that people not only bequeath material wealth to animals, but also think through their comfortable future in the smallest detail. For example, they stipulate in advance that guests visit the pet - friends and relatives of the testator (this way the animal will be able to be seen by familiar faces).
When an animal dies, in some cases the guardian may become its heir. In others, they simply receive a fixed fee for regular pet care. The trust will most likely provide for an additional person who controls how well the guardian performs his duties.
What the hell paws
Creating a trust for an animal, you need to think through many details and provide countless "ifs". For example, what happens if a pet outlives the manager and / or guardian? Some birds live more than 75 years ...
Who invented making animals heirs?
Considering how reverently many people belong to their living creatures, the appearance of testaments in favor of pets was a matter of time.
In 1842, the Pettingale vs. Pettingale case was heard in an English court. A certain horse breeder bequeathed a certain amount to take care of one of his pets. In particular, he demanded that the horse be kept “in some park in England or Wales” and never ride it. “My contractor must bind himself with the word of honor that he will fulfill my wish and see that she doesn’t need anything,” the testament said.
In 1888, English justice defined the term for funds created in favor of the honorary trust and their main characteristics (this is a foundation that does not have a beneficiary in the person or a charitable organization, but its manager must dispose of the hereditary mass in some defined by the testator purposes - in our case animal care).
Rare atrocity
In 2018, the Compare The Market portal for the first time brought together statistics on the richest animals in the world. A minority of them have earned a fortune themselves: with a little help from the hosts leading their accounts in social networks and advertising contracts for them. But the majority of shaggy moneybags are the heirs of human states.
The richest animal in the world is the German Shepherd Gunther IV (the fortune is $ 375 million). The dog received an inheritance from his father, Günther III. And that, in turn, - from the adoring mistress, the German Countess Carlotta Leibenstein. Yes, with the help of a trust it is possible to foresee such a move.
In 2007, an American woman, Leon Helmsley, left $ 12 million to a male Maltese dog Trable. The court later reduced this amount by two million, deciding that the original was redundant. Trablu left 190 thousand per annum (including 100 thousand for the guards, 8 thousand for grooming, 1200 for food, 18 thousand for the vet). The dog left this world in 2010. It can be assumed that the paid bodyguards were most upset by the death of his generous hand.
Animal instinct
It is not yet known how much money Schupett will get; the Blacks are considered the richest cat in the world. The Guinness Book of Records cat, the owner of $ 12,5 million, inherited from the multi-millionaire antiquarian Ben Rea.
British publisher Miles Blackwell left $ 15 million to homemade chicken Jig. It was only part of the state of the magnate, but the lion’s share of Blackwell was donated to charity. He was a philanthropist and had a developed sense of humor.
American TV host Oprah Winfrey is alive and well, but she has already mentioned in her will golden retrievers Luke and Lyle, Cocker Spaniel Sadie and Springer Spaniels Sunny and Loren. If the dogs lose their mistress, they will get $ 30 million.
Million for Barsika
It is possible that in Russia there will also be those who want to bestow their four-legged friends with a generous hand. However, at the moment there is no legislative base in the country that clearly regulates the activities of trust funds (especially those created in favor of animals).
From a legal point of view, the right to property in the Russian Federation is indivisible (that is, there can not exist both an absolute owner - the testator and the trustees - the manager and the beneficiary). Therefore, wealthy Russians usually establish a trust outside their homeland (which is not forbidden by law), however, so far mainly in favor of potential heirs of their biological species.
In addition, the pets themselves in Russian law are objects of property - so, although it is quite possible to bequeath one's cat to someone, leaving a legacy to Barsik himself is problematic.
