Billionaire philanthropist Wallis Annenberg's final days marred by bitter fued between lesbian lover and kids

New York Post

a day ago

Billionaire philanthropist Wallis Annenberg's children were locked in a bitter legal feud with their mom's longtime girlfriend just weeks before she died — with the kids alleging the 86-year-old heiress was abused, drugged and locked away in a vegetative state towards the end.
Three of Annenberg's kids allege their mother's longtime partner, Kris Levine, and her sister, Vikki Levine, isolated and overmedicated the philanthropist before she succumbed to her lung cancer battle on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In the lead up to her death, the children — Gregory, Lauren and Charles — had accused Vikki, who was their mom's personal assistant and had authority over her medical decisions, of hastening Annenberg's decline by exerting control over her in 'likely fatal' ways, court documents state.
The kids, too, were distressed about plans to send Annenberg's remains for composting within hours of her looming death, according to the various filings.
The Levine sisters, for their part, have blasted the allegations as 'vicious and false.'
3 Billionaire philanthropist Wallis Annenberg's children were locked in a bitter legal feud with their mom's longtime girlfriend just weeks before she died.
Annenberg Foundation
They claim no one was over-medicating or mistreating Annenberg and that the dispute, which isn't tied to her vast fortune, stems from her children not being in charge of her care.
The bitter family feud escalated after Annenberg, the heiress to her father Walter Annenberg's publishing empire, was first diagnosed with cancer in late 2023.
Despite going into remission, the disease returned last fall, and she opted not to undergo treatment again, court records show.
In May, she started hospice care and was given medication to help with the pain and anxiety brought on by her decreased lung function, the filings state.
A month later, Annenberg's children claim Vikki hired a new team of nurses to allegedly start administering 'excessive amounts of powerful narcotics and opioids, such as Fentanyl, Morphine, Ativan and other similar drugs.'
They alleged the drugs kept their mom 'in a vegetative state' and that when she was coherent, she was 'adamant that this is not what she wants and that she believes, in her own words, that Vikki is 'kidnapping her.''
The children later filed a petition with Los Angeles County Superior Court in early July in a bid to have Vikki removed as Annenberg's healthcare agent authority.
3 Annenberg's kids allege their mother's longtime partner, Kris Levine, and her sister, Vikki Levine, isolated and overmedicated the philanthropist before she succumbed to her lung cancer battle.
Getty Images for Women's Cancer Research Fund
'We have been informed that my mother may only have weeks to live, and I do not want those weeks to be spent in a medically-induced coma due to Vikki's actions, which are contrary to medical advice and harmful to her well-being,' her daughter, Lauren, wrote in one declaration.
They also sought to have a judge impose a three-day limit to ensure Annenberg's remains couldn't be quickly removed from her house and sent away before they could say a proper goodbye.
Kris, who had been dating the heiress since 2009 and lived with her, adamantly denied the claims — and insisted she allowed the siblings unrestricted access to their ailing mom.
'No one is attempting to hurt Wallis — we love her. No one is keeping her children from her. Despite the outrageous behavior they exhibit in my home at such a sensitive time, they are still welcome,' Kris said in a declaration.
She argued that her partner's children were trying to interfere in their mother's care.
'They crowd around Wallis' bed while the nurses are caring for her, tell Wallis that she doesn't need the medication, refuse to get out of their way, ask numerous questions about the medication and procedures being employed, and generally make the situation untenable for a care-provider to work,' she wrote, according to court docs.
Still, on July 22, a judge determined there was 'good cause' to suspend Vikki as Annenberg's healthcare agent. A professional fiduciary was temporarily appointed to oversee her care.
Annenberg, however, died a week later.
3 Annenberg supported the arts, science, education and animal welfare causes over decades in Los Angeles
Michael Kovac
The Post reached out to Kris' attorney but didn't hear back immediately. Lawyers for Annenberg's children declined to comment.
In the wake of her death, the family issued a statement saying, 'Wallis transitioned peacefully and comfortably this morning to her new adventure.'
'Cancer may have beaten her body but it never got her spirit. We will hold her and her wisdom in our hearts forever.'
Annenberg, who supported the arts, science, education and animal welfare causes over decades in Los Angeles, had served as chief executive of the Annenberg Foundation for 16 years.
The nonprofit organization has donated about $1.5 billion to thousands of organizations in Southern California.
Her father started the foundation after selling his publishing empire, including TV Guide and a slew of other publications, to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in 1989.
Walter Annenberg died in 2002.
With Post wires