The castle of Bosc, in Aveyron, where the painter Toulouse-Lautrec spent his childhood. – Wikimedia commons
- A couple will appear on Wednesday before the Rodez Criminal Court, in particular for “fraud”.
- In 2016, Toulouse-Lautrec’s great-great-niece bequeathed them the family castle of Bosc where the painter spent his childhood.
- However, the nonagenarian benefactress had only known the defendants for a year.
Roundabout made for a vulnerable nonagenarian or benevolence justly rewarded? A couple is tried this Wednesday in Rodez for “abuse of weakness and trust” and “fraud” after having inherited the
Bosc castle.
This beautiful 12th century residence, located near Naucelle in Aveyron and listed as a Historic Monument, is best known for having housed the painter’s childhood. Toulouse Lautrec. Her great-grand-niece, Nicole Tapié de Celeyran lived there until her death, at the age of 91, in 2016.
Unknown a year ago
The last will of the nonagenarian, the fourth in a short time, made the defendants the universal legatees of the castle. However, the old lady had only known the couple for a year. The two sixties, who then lived in the Hérault, got to know him through one of his cousins by marriage.
The current went so well that they quickly settled in the private apartments of the castle. Four months later, in October, they appeared in a first will, but still alongside the “natural” heirs.
A house worth a million euros
“Gradually, the heirs of Toulouse-Lautrec and Ms. Nicole Tapié of Celeyran were stripped of everything,” says Robert-François Rastoul, one of the lawyers of the 15 plaintiffs. He believes that the defendants already had “a very precise plan” the day they crossed for the first time the threshold of the castle, estimated at one million euros.
Elian Gaudy, the lawyer for the new owners of the castle, maintains on the contrary that Nicole Tapié of Celeyran trusted them with full knowledge of the facts. “My clients were the only ones who wanted to bring it to life [le château] “, He underlines, adding that” according to several testimonies, the heiress had all her head when she signed the last will in the presence of a notary “.
The court will say if the new lords must pack their bags.