Leonard Simmons has accused his brother Richard Simmons’ housekeeper, Teresa Muro, of stealing nearly $1 million worth of jewelry and art after Richard’s death. In legal filings, Leonard opposes Teresa’s petition to be reinstated as a cotrustee of Richard’s trust, claiming she was coerced into signing documents while grieving. Leonard also alleges plans to sell Richard’s personal property without Teresa’s consent, while she claims he is collaborating on a controversial documentary about Richard.
Leonard bestreitet die Vorwürfe seiner Schwiegertochter Teresa Muro, die beschuldigt wird, nach dem Tod ihres Freundes Richard Simmons fast 1 Million Dollar an Schmuck und Kunst gestohlen zu haben. In gerichtlichen Unterlagen beantragt Leonard, Teresas Antrag auf Wiederherstellung als Mitverwalterin des Testaments abzulehnen, und behauptet, sie sei unter Druck gesetzt worden, Dokumente zu unterschreiben. Er gibt auch an, dass er plant, Richards persönlichen Besitz ohne Teresas Einwilligung zu verkaufen, während sie behauptet, er arbeite an einem umstrittenen Dokumentarfilm über Richard.
Richard Simmons’ brother, Leonard Simmons, has publicly criticized his long-term housekeeper, Teresa Muro, accusing her of taking $1 million worth of jewelry and other valuable art pieces from Richard’s residence following his death, as reported exclusively.
According to court filings, Leonard has requested that a Los Angeles Superior Court dismiss the petition Teresa filed.
In her petition, Teresa stated she was Richard’s closest friend at the time of his passing on July 13 at the age of 76. She claimed that Richard appointed both her and Leonard as cotrustees of his trust.
However, Teresa alleged that Leonard pressured her into signing documents while she was mourning, which resulted in her removal as cotrustee during this vulnerable time.
Her attorney mentioned, “Teresa was experiencing intense grief with Richard’s sudden loss just days before, coupled with the events at the funeral home and Leonard’s unexpected intimidation tactics. Additionally, English is not Teresa’s first language.”
She contended that she was “coerced and fraudulently induced into signing” the documents that stripped her of her cotrustee status, claiming that Leonard refused to restore her position when she approached him.
Recently, Teresa has requested an urgent hearing regarding the matter. She accused Leonard of collaborating with Richard’s estranged manager on a documentary that she believed Richard would have found upsetting.
In her motion, she wrote, “In the last years of his life, Richard definitively severed ties with [the manager] due to his exploitation of Richard’s celebrity without proper authorization or compensation. Richard even expressed that he ‘would rather die’ than work on another project with him.”
Additionally, Teresa pointed out that Leonard is planning to sell Richard’s personal belongings.
Her attorney noted, “It appears Leonard is preparing to dispose of many of Richard’s personal effects, having hired a real estate agent to market Richard’s home where his belongings were kept and likely arranging to remove these items for marketing purposes. Leonard seems poised to sell, donate, or otherwise dispose of Richard’s personal belongings without Teresa’s input, contrary to Richard’s intentions as laid out in the Trust.”
In response, Leonard denied the allegations and opposed Teresa’s reappointment as cotrustee.
“Since choosing not to serve as Co-Trustee, Teresa has displayed significant hostility towards Leonard without any clear reason, and having them both act as Co-Trustees would be counterproductive and likely necessitate the appointment of a corporate trustee,” his motion stated.
“This alone is enough to deny her petition, as Teresa has demonstrated no interest in the welfare of the estate’s beneficiaries since Richard’s death.”
Leonard also accused Teresa of absconding with $1 million in jewelry belonging to Richard.
His motion elaborated, “Despite having her own place, Teresa occupied a room in Richard’s house, which she refused to vacate following his death. When she did finally leave, 76 days later, she took nearly $1 million worth of jewelry and fine art, which she still has not returned.”
The motion further claimed, “Moreover, she was involved in efforts to misappropriate the Trust’s intellectual property. Teresa’s legal counsel has not clarified whether she intends to retain or return this property. Should she decide to keep it, the Trustee will have to petition for its recovery, providing further reason for denying her co-trustee position.” Leonard also mentioned that Teresa seems to be working on her own project about Richard, despite objecting to an unrelated one she thought he was involved in.
Regarding the alleged documentary, Leonard asserted, “This is untrue. The film crew was at the house for a documentary being produced by Diane Sawyer and ABC News, which Michael permitted. This project began prior to Richard’s death.” “He was genuinely excited and shared about it on his social media, even sending Diane 30 dozen roses with a note saying, ‘I trust you.’”
The motion concluded, “The Trustee and his legal team need to appraise any items intended for sale and may need to sell them to cover taxes. Teresa should not interfere in this process without valid, serious concerns about estate management, none of which are present in this case.” Teresa has not yet replied to the legal accusations.