In his private life, the comedian Jerry Lewis was not known to be anything like his on-screen goofball image. He was known to be cranky and even mean-spirited at times.
At some point, he had a falling out with his sons and, Lewis did not leave them anything in his will.
The real life Lewis was often something of a ladies’ man. That is where a woman named Suzan comes into the story.
She claims that Lewis dated her mother, who was a model at the time. Suzan shares 80% of her DNA with Lewis’ eldest son, so it is quite possible that her claim is true.
However, Lewis never acknowledged her and made no effort to ever see her.
In 1980, Suzan attempted to see him but she was denied access, as Page Six reports in “Jerry Lewis’ daughter on being left out of his will.”
Because he did not acknowledge her during his lifetime, it comes as no surprise that Suzan is not mentioned in his will. Interestingly, that might mean she is entitled to part of his estate.
Often in order to disinherit a child, that child must be mentioned by name and specifically disinherited in the will.
This is done so the court can be sure the omission of a child was not just an accident. However, in this case, because Suzan and Lewis did not have any kind of relationship at any point during his lifetime, her rights to any of his estate is less certain.
It will ultimately be up to a court to decide whether Suzan can have a portion of the estate.
It would be wise of her to find an elder law attorney to handle her case. It has been reported that such an attorney has not been easy for her to find.
Reference: Page Six (Oct. 16, 2017) “Jerry Lewis’ daughter on being left out of his will.”
