A California good looks queen who was accused of bigamy has been ordered to pay off more than $13million to her former husband’s family after losing a chronic Supreme Court struggle in Italy.
Former Miss USA Johnine Leigh Avery, 75, was left half of the Colonna circle of relatives’s $33.3million (£25million) inheritance after her aristocrat husband, Prince Ugo Colonna, died in 2004.
The couple married in Florida in 1991 with widower Prince Colonna coming from Italian the Aristocracy that dates back to the twelfth century and counts former Pope Martin V amongst its wealthy historical past.
But Colonna’s son, Prince Oddone Colonna, 60, claimed that Avery was once nonetheless married to South African businessman Arthur van den Heever on the time when she wed his father in 1991.
After Ugo’s passing in 2004, part of the circle of relatives property went to his son Prince Oddone – who had lengthy contested the validity of his father’s will as a result of his stepmother’s alleged bigamy.
Avery was once two times cleared of fraud and bigamy after producing divorce paperwork that were reportedly signed within the Dominican Republic in 1980.
But the paperwork had been found to have been cast after the case used to be heard on the Italian Supreme Court final October.
Former Miss USA Johnine Leigh Avery, 75, was once left half of the Colonna family’s $33.3million (£25million) inheritance after her aristocrat husband, Prince Ugo Colonna (left) died in 2004. The pair are pictured together in Rome in 1985, above
But Colonna’s son, Prince Oddone, 60, claimed that Avery was once nonetheless married to South African businessman Arthur van den Heever at the time when she wed his father in 1991. Prince Oddone is pictured, left, with Princess Alessandra del Drago in 1985
Prince Oddone’s lawyer, Michele Gentiloni Silveri, has argued his client is now owed a stake of around $13.5million (£10million) in inheritance, including a Roman palazzo with a view over town’s historic forum.
Gentiloni Silveri described the Supreme Court ruling as ‘strange’ when speaking with The Times.
‘It’s an atypical ruling as it is one of the first occasions that the Supreme Court has overturned two reverse verdicts by way of the lower courts,’ he defined.
Avery and Prince Oddone have been trading blows all over the case that had filtered through to Italy’s very best court docket and spanned greater than a decade.
The ex-California good looks queen has long accused her stepson of trying to forcefully download his father’s fortune.
Former California attractiveness queen Johnine Leigh Avery (pictured left) has lengthy accused her stepson of trying to forcefully download his father’s fortune
She had claimed in courtroom that Prince Oddone was suing his father earlier than his death in 2004, and had ‘sought to delete his residency standing’.
But the Italian aristocrat shot again at his stepmother, arguing he felt compelled to take action after looking at Avery take over his father’s affairs, regardless of rumours persisting that she was still already wed on the time of her marriage to his father.
‘She married my father when he was once moderately unwell, and beautiful quickly she had taken power of legal professional and used to be making him promote assets’, Prince Oddone claimed.
Prince Ugo Colonna had bequeathed the well-known Palazzo Colonna to Avery, but the historic property is now owned by another family member who has reworked it into a huge personal art collection.
The palace, which is located in central Rome, has belonged to the family for over 20 generations and is alleged to have hosted the likes of Dante as well as Cardinals Giovanni and Giacomo Colonna.
It was also the home of Cardinal Oddone Colonal before he used to be declared Pope in 1417.
Avery (pictured) had claimed in court that her stepson Prince Oddone was once suing his father ahead of his demise in 2004, and had ‘sought to delete his residency standing’
Prince Ugo Colonna had bequeathed Rome’s famous Palazzo Colonna (pictured) to Avery, however the historic property is now owned by means of some other family member who remodeled it into an enormous private art assortment
Avery had up to now beat off challenges from Prince Oddone within the decrease Italian courts that saw her awarded the ancient palace in 2018.
But the aristocrat had at all times challenged the validity of her claim to the family fortune after he used to be informed at a dinner party that his stepmother was once allegedly committing bigamy.
‘If she by no means divorced her previous husband, then that suggests her marriage to Prince Colonna used to be not legitimate,’ Prince Oddone’s lawyer prior to now argued throughout the trial.
‘So she will’t inherit his wealth, and it all goes to his son.’
The Colonna family, which used to be robust in medieval and Renaissance Rome, dates again to the thirteenth century.
It supplied one Pope in addition to a slew of cardinals and leaders in both church and politics.
Avery, who was born in San Diego, represented USA in Miss World in 1968 before she introduced an appearing profession and starred along Bob Hope in quite a few comedies.
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