3 days ago
‘Excessive': Insane family feud reignited after stair death
EXCLUSIVE
An ugly family feud involving the $40 million fortune of a wealthy Australian family has been reignited – thirteen years after the mother was found dead in a pool of blood in Sydney's east.
Millionaire businessman Giovanni 'John' Angius found his ex-wife Laura dead at the bottom of the staircase of their $6 million home in 2012, in a case that remains unsolved.
However, it was in 2022 after Mr Angius died from COVID-19 at 85, that the family's history was examined in court, as both his mistress and granddaughter lodged claims over his estimated $38 million fortune, which was left entirely to his daughter Jenny.
Last year, the NSW Supreme Court ruled Mr Angius' lover Thi Quy Le was entitled to $250,000 and a Waterloo unit block he owned, which she ran as a laundromat, after finding they had a 'close personal relationship'.
Ms Le, who was 27 years his junior, told the court they started having an affair in 2003.
The court also found his granddaughter Natalie, who has multiple sclerosis, was entitled to $2.55 million of the estate after deeming she was partly financially dependent on Mr Angius due to her medical condition.
However, this week, the messy case was thrust back into the NSW Supreme Court as Jenny appealed the court's decision to award her niece Natalie the $2.55 million.
The court heard how Jenny claimed the amount was 'excessive' and argued that Natalie could work despite her condition as her health was 'stable'.
'Jenny was critical of the primary judge's assessment of the expert evidence regarding Natalie's medical condition, submitting that the award did not correctly take into account her current health and level of disability,' the court decision stated.
'As Natalie submitted, Jenny's focus on Natalie's health at the time of the hearing failed to account for the evidence that her lifetime needs would grow as her condition deteriorated.'
Jenny also argued the court had 'imposed the entire burden of her care onto [Natalie's] grandfather's estate'.
The court heard that Natalie 'accepted' the amount awarded to her was large, however, was in the context of an 'extremely large' estate.
Justice Mark Richmond upheld the decision of the original judge and dismissed the case with costs.
Divorce, death and deception
The court previously heard how the family first began feuding in 2011 when Mr and Mrs Angius separated.
The separation came about four years after Mrs Angius first learnt about her husband's affair with Ms Le.
According to court documents, Mr Angius' daughter Jenny took his side, while their son Robert took their mother's.
When Mrs Angius died, their son Robert told how he climbed a tree and jumped through a window to retrieve a hidden will she wrote in Italian.
The rift led to the insane scenario of Robert and Mr Angius bidding against one another for the Coogee home.
John eventually bought the home for $6 million, about $2 million above reserve.
As the auction ended, a victorious Mr Angius Snr shouted to the stunned crowd: 'Someone understand me. My wife never wanted to sell this house. She never wanted to die here.'
Robert was eventually given Mrs Angius' entire $13 million fortune, however, is estranged from his first wife Silvana and daughter Natalie.
Mrs Angius' death led to a coronial inquest, however, was left open and handed to the unsolved homicide squad. None of Mrs Angius's family was accused of any wrongdoing in relation to her death, and nobody has ever been arrested or charged.
