Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, October 1, 2022

13 

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 1, 2022 

DEER CROSSING 


Happy Tails 

by Chris Leclerc 

And Lots of Other Reasons to 
SLOW DOWN! 

I’ll never forget the first time I saw a deer wandering 
around on the property where I lived when I moved to 
Sierra Madre 31 years ago. I had heard there were lots 
of deer in the foothills, and that they often came down 
into the canyons and neighborhoods while foraging 
for food. But until that morning when I awoke early 
and saw one nibbling away on the greens in my yard, 
I had no clue as to how majestic that sight would be. 

I was amazed at how peaceful they were, roaming free 
among us humans as we bustled about to get out of our 
houses and into our cars, then swiftly down the hill to 
the freeway and eventually to work, hopefully on time! 
Those deer gave me a sense of serenity. Just knowing 
they were there, trusting us to show them respect 
and bidding that we allow them to carry on with their 
simple daily routine. It made me realize all the more, 
how fortunate I was to live in this unique and special 
place, and how desperately delicate is our mission for 
cohabitation in these foothills. 

Many years have passed since my first deer sighting in 
Sierra Madre and much has changed in our town, but 
one thing that has stayed the same is my looking forward 
to the next time I’ll get to see those darling deer 
passing through my neighborhood. I tend to keep an 
eye out for them, in hopes that they will indeed come 
around and I will be blessed with that majestic moment 
of serenity that they have a way of bringing to 
my day. 

I drive on Grand View daily. Often, when I am headed 
east toward Santa Anita Blvd. I’ll see a family of deer 
grazing in the huge yard on the north side of the street. 
I’m pretty good about complying with the 30mph rule, 
even when there is an obnoxious tale-gaiter behind 
me. But I slow down even more when I see deer crossing 
because I know there may be a young straggler trying 
to scale the fence to cross and join the others, or 
perhaps one of the adults taking up the rear to ensure 
that everyone else made it safely across the road. 

It only takes a couple of seconds to slow down -just 
in case - and for me it is always such a pleasure to see 
them. This is why I am completely mystified by the 
many motorists I see speeding down Grand View on 
a daily basis, with the pedal to the metal as if they are 
on a freaking freeway somewhere in LA rather than on 
a residential street in Sierra Madre. Again, the speed 
limit on Grand View is 30 miles per hour, just in case 


that is not made clear enough by the signs. 

One might argue that Grand View is such a wide 

open road, it is tempting for even a good driver to 

go over the limit because of the steep nature of the 

hill and broad range of visibility. I get it, I do. But 

the law is the law, and it’s simple common courtesy 

to those who live on that street to go the speed limit. 

I sense that there are numerous drivers in our town 

who somehow feel exempt from such “petty” things 

as ‘going the speed limit’ or stopping at a stop sign. 

If this resonates, just let me say, you are not exempt, 
so get with the program! There really are reasons why 
those laws have been put into place. It’s ok if you don’t 
understand. Just do it. 

And then there are the tiny winding roads up in the 
canyon where residents wish to enjoy a peaceful, quiet 
lifestyle and they pay dearly for it. Did you know that 
the speed limit on most canyon roads is 15 miles per 
hour? Yep, just like the signs say…FIFTEEN, not fifty! 
As a dog walker who often has no choice but to walk 
along the short shoulders of those tiny canyon roads, I 
know for a fact that there are far too many people who 
apparently do not know the speed limit up there, or 
again, perhaps they think they are exempt. 

I just wish folks would acknowledge the speed limit in 
the canyon, even if 15 mph seems ridiculous. And if 
there happens to be a pedestrian walking on the road 
where there is no sidewalk, you might have to slow 
down enough to allow them to get to a place where 
they can get off the road onto someone’s driveway or 
yard to allow you to pass by. Don’t threaten them by 
revving your motor or pressing in so close they feel 
forced to climb a boulder or a tree to get out of your 
way. Basic common sense, right? One would think. 

Then there are those who, in lieu of showing the courtesy 
of slowing down and allowing the pedestrian 
enough time to get off the road, choose to speed up 
even more and zoom around them with a scowl as if 
that person intentionally set out to conspire against 
their morning commute. Anyone who is in that much 
of a hurry might consider leaving the house earlier. 
Just a thought. 

The other day I had to laugh when a “friend” asked me, 
“Why do people need to walk their dogs on the streets 
in the canyon?” There once was a time when I could 
have had a field day with that one and left him feeling 
like a real moron, but I just smiled on the outside and 
laughed real hard on the inside before backing away 
slowly and leaving him apparently still waiting for an 
answer. No, it wasn’t a rhetorical question, and no, he 
wasn’t kidding! I had to laugh. 

Now I realize this little rant doesn’t quite qualify as a 
“Happy Tail”, but I do hope it may have brought on a 
little giggle or smile to lighten the day for those who 
‘get it‘. Most importantly, though, I hope the message 
hits home with at least one reader who is ready to admit 
he or she needs to slow their roll. Peace and tranquility…
if I remember correctly, these were top on the 
list of reasons why most of us moved here. Show some 
respect. Love and let live. 

FAMILY MATTERS

 By Marc Garlett 

ANNE HECHE DIES WITH CONFLICT AROUND HER 
WILL, LEAVING HER SONS & ESTATE IN LEGAL LIMBO 

Actress Anne Heche died this August 

following a tragic car accident in which 
she plowed her vehicle into a West Los Angeles home, where it 
burst into flames. After being pulled from the wreckage, the Emmy 
Award-winning actress was hospitalized in critical condition, suffering 
from severe burns and smoke inhalation. 

The fiery accident left Heche brain dead and comatose, but she was 
kept on life support for seven days in order to identify a suitable recipient 
for her organs, which was in line with the actress’ wishes, according 
to a statement from her publicist. After a successful match 
with organ donors, Heche was removed from life support on August 
14th, and she died shortly thereafter. She was 53 years old. 

Heche is survived by two young sons. Her eldest, Homer Heche 
Laffoon, is 20 years old, and is from her marriage with ex-husband 
Coleman Laffoon. Her youngest son, Atlas Heche Tupper, is 13, and 
his father is Canadian actor James Tupper, with whom Heche had 
a 10-year relationship following her divorce from Laffoon. Heche is 
also survived by her mother, Nancy Heche. 

According to a court petition filed by her eldest son Homer on August 
31st, Heche died without a will, and Homer requested that he 
be named executor of his late mother’s estate. However, on September 
15th, Heche’s ex-boyfriend James Tupper filed a probate petition 


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objecting to Homer’s bid, claiming that Heche e-mailed him a copy 
of her will in 2011, leaving him (Tupper) in charge of her estate. 

In a report by Rolling Stone, Tupper says Heche nominated him to 
handle her affairs, allegedly stating in her e-mail, “My wishes are 
that all of my assets go to the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used 
to raise my children and then given to the children.” 

Tupper requested that the court honor Heche’s final wishes and 
deny Homer’s petition, which he alleges incorrectly claimed she 
died intestate, the legal term for when someone dies without a will. 
In Tupper’s petition, he questioned both Homer’s ability to carry 
out the executor role and his motives, noting that “Homer is only 20 
years of age and is unemployed, and was estranged from [Heche] at 
the time of her death.” 

While we can't know for certain whether or not Anne Heche had 
a will or if the will Tupper describes is valid, given that there is so 
much confusion surrounding her will, the late actress most likely 
didn’t have any trusts set up either. Her failure to plan is likely to 
create a number of major problems for her two sons and other surviving 
loved ones. 

I’ll follow this case as it unfolds to document Heche’s estate planning 
mistakes and how those errors will likely impact her family 
and assets. I’ll do this so you can learn from this tragic situation 
and identify the steps you can take to make certain your loved ones 

never need to endure a similar 
situation. 

PROBATE: A NEEDLESS 
ORDEAL & EXPENSE. If you 
die without a will, or with uncertainty 
around your will, as 
Heche did—and even if your 
estate plan includes a will 
alone—you are guaranteeing 
your family will have to 
deal with the court process of 
probate upon your death or 
incapacity. Like all court proceedings, 
probate can be long, 
costly, and traumatic for your 
surviving loved ones. 

Until Heche’s estate completes 
the probate process, her assets 
will be mostly inaccessible to 
her heirs. As a result, her sons, 
Homer and Atlas, could be 
left without financial support 
from their late mother for a 
significant amount of time. 

It will likely take many months 
just to locate all of Heche’s assets, 
and it’s quite possible 
some of those assets will get 
overlooked—and may never 
be found. All told, there is 
approximately $58 billion in 
unclaimed property across 
the United States, and this is 
exactly how a great deal of it 
ends up lost. 

To ensure all her assets are 
located and accounted for, 
Heche could have created 
(and maintained) an inventory 
of her assets -- or a lawyer 
could have done this for her. 
Such an inventory not only 
makes creating your estate 
plan much easier, but most 
importantly, it allows your 
loved ones to know what you 
have, where it is, and how to 

access it if something happens to you. 

A LONG, EXPENSIVE, & PUBLIC PROCESS. What we know so 
far is that Heche didn’t seem to have a lawyer who created an inventory 
of her assets, or to make sure her surviving family would stay 
out of court, or even out of conflict. As a result, her estate is likely to 
be stuck in probate for at least a year. And that assumes everything 
goes smoothly and there are no serious conflicts or disputes among 
Heche’s potential heirs or creditors, which is common following 
celebrity death—and as we are already seeing between Homer and 
Tupper. 

In fact, with his surviving heirs and creditors fighting over the rights 
to his vast fortune, it took more than six years for Prince’s estate to 
be settled. 

The unnecessarily lengthy time frame is just one of the drawbacks 
to probate—the unnecessary expense of a probate is a whole other 
issue. Before Homer and Atlas can inherit a dime, a veritable army 
of other people and entities—attorneys, a personal representative, a 
publisher, a probate referee, appraisers, accountants, various advisors, 
creditors, and possibly, the IRS—must all be paid, and this is 
likely to seriously deplete Heche’s estate. 

Probate costs in California average 5% or more of the total value of 
the estate, leaving an estimated cost to her family of approximately 
$200,000 or more. Most of these fees could have been avoided with 
a properly established estate plan—and with a lawyer to guide her 
and her family throughout her life and beyond. 

Last, and perhaps worst, probate is open to the public, so all of 
Heche’s dirty laundry will be fodder for the tabloids, as it already 
has been for so much of her life. Given the actress' past history with 
mental illness and her contentious relationships with her mother, 
ex-husband, and Ellen DeGeneres, the tabloids are likely to dig up 
plenty of dirt. 

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to ensuring your surviving 
loved ones will avoid the cost, time delay, and public nature of probate 
upon your eventual death or potential incapacity, and this solution 
is available not only to rich celebrities, but to regular folks, as 
well. 

With a well-counseled and drafted estate plan, likely including a living 
trust in addition to a will (and a trusted advisor to support it all), 
Homer and Atlas would have been able to access their late mother’s 
assets without the need for any court intervention whatsoever, if 
that’s what Heche would have wanted. 

Alternatively, Heche could have made it clear that she wanted 
Tupper controlling her affairs, and her lawyer could have confirmed 
that without dispute. Finally, if a trust is properly created and maintained, 
it will remain private, and the transfer of assets to your heirs 
can happen within the privacy of a law office, not a courtroom, and 
on your family’s timeline. 

This would have prevented the tabloids and other potential bad actors 
from getting access to the details of Heche’s assets, her beneficiaries, 
and family conflicts, all of which will now be readily available 
for public consumption. 

Don’t let your loved ones be left with a mess like Anne Heche’s family 
is dealing with now. Engage an experienced attorney to work 
with you to put in place the right combination of estate planning 
solutions to fit with your asset profile, family dynamics, budget, as 
well as your overall goals and desires. 

Best, 


Marc Garlett, Esq.
Cali Law Family Legacy 
Matters 
www.caliLaw.com 
626.355.4000 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
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