The dispute over Niki Lauda’s estate escalates

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It’s millions of francs. Birgit Lauda (44) is fighting for the legacy of Formula 1 legend and flight operator Niki Lauda (1949 – 2019) at the Vienna Regional Civil Court. The trial entered a new round on Wednesday, with a serious accusation against the widow.

One after the other: in 2004 Niki Lauda and the then flight attendant fell in love with each other. A short time later he needed a new kidney, which she donated to him. The couple married in 2008 and had 13-year-old twins Mia and Max the following year. With his first wife Marlene Knaus (67), he has sons Lukas (44) and Mathias (42) and the illegitimate son Christoph (41). .

She demands her mandatory share of 30 million

Five children, a widow and an estimated Lauda fortune of 200 to 500 million francs. There is a lot of money tied up in companies and the investment structure is complicated. According to the magazine “Bunte”, Lauda is said to have contributed a three-digit million to a private foundation for the benefit of his surviving relatives. Since the death of her husband four years ago at the University Hospital of Zurich, Birgit Lauda has been denied access to her mandatory share, which she claims in court for an amount of approximately 30 million francs from the foundation’s assets.

On April 19, foundation board member Hais Asenbauer, Lauda’s former lawyer and friend, launched a counterattack. According to kurier.at, he wants to have Birgit Lauda declared legally incompetent and accuses her of misappropriation of assets. Specifically, it concerns an art collection with about 50 photos and jewelry, which she would have kept secret. It must now be clarified whether Niki or Birgit Lauda bought the individual pieces, which has a corresponding effect on the claims. The widow denies the charges and claims to have paid a lot herself. If Asenbauer is right, she can leave empty-handed.

Niki Lauda’s sons testify on Friday.

In the meantime, according to the Austrian media, about 300,000 francs in court costs have been incurred for them. An application for legal aid has been rejected.

Niki Lauda always wanted to avoid disputes about his wealth. So he bundled it into a private foundation. Birgit Lauda receives about 20,000 francs a month. In addition, the running costs for the homes in Vienna and Ibiza, cars, personnel costs and school fees for the twins are covered by the foundation.

On Friday, Lauda’s sons Lukas and Mathias should have their say in the inheritance dispute. These are also favored by the foundation. A ruling is not expected before the summer at the earliest.

Source : Blick