Although he later returned to work for his father after it failed, Oscar de la Renta’s son Moises attempted his own fashion line and not only seriously severed their relationship, but also his share in the will.
He may have been best known for creating celebrity red carpet ensembles, but Oscar de la Renta also contributed to charitable causes in the Dominican Republic, from where he also adopted a son after the loss of his first wife. The apple did not fall far from the tree. Moises followed his father’s footsteps into fashion as one of his designers.
However, a decade ago, Moises decided to strike out on his own and start his own fashion line for women. The line never took off and Oscar de la Renta publicly criticized his son for the move.
The younger de la Renta eventually went back to work for his father’s studio. It appears that the wounds were never completely healed over, as Oscar de la Renta, who passed away in October 2014, has given the son only a very small portion of his $26 million estate.
The majority of the estate will instead go to his second wife.
Language in the will also created a no contest clause that states the son is to get nothing if he ever challenges the will.
The Daily Mail reported the story in a recent article titled “Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta snubs adopted son from $26M will ‘after high-profile falling out over son’s clothes label’.”
It should be noted that, even though the will contains a no contest clause, this is not necessarily the end of the story. Courts have been loath to uphold the clauses if a good reason exists for challenging a will and the challenge is made in good faith.
Whether or not Moises de la Renta does want to challenge his father’s will remains to be seen.
An experienced estate planning attorney can help you protect your estate plan from potential beneficiary challenges, but great care must be taken.
Reference: Daily Mail (June 1, 2015) “Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta snubs adopted son from $26M will ‘after high-profile falling out over son’s clothes label’.”
