When talking about wills, we often think about the equitable distribution of assets among loved ones. However, it is not unusual for these final documents to contain surprises that shake the foundations of families and loved ones. One of the most unexpected situations is disinheritance, a decision that leaves some family members completely out of the inheritance.
In the recent opening of the will of the Galician businessman Fernando Fernández-Tapias, who died on October 25 at the age of 84, a surprising decision was revealed: the disinheritance of his five eldest children. These children, the result of his marriages to Victoria Riva de Luna and Juana García Courel, have been excluded from the inheritance due to accusations of "psychological abuse."
The situation with his older children was complicated by the suspicion that Fernández-Tapias, affectionately known as Fefé, had towards them about suspicious movements in the accounts of one of his companies, which generated a loss of trust and probably contributed to his decision to leave. disinherit them.
According to María Eugenia Yagüe, from LOC, the five disinherited eldest children plan to challenge Fernández-Tapias' last will. It is worth remembering that Spanish laws always guarantee offspring their right to the third of the inheritance corresponding to the legitimate one.
Even so, Fernández-Tapias could have left a considerable fortune to his widow. Among his assets, a series of valuable works of art stand out, including pieces by Picasso and Titian. The Galician shipowner could have gotten rid of some of these works during his lifetime, leaving them to Nuria González, his third wife, and his youngest children.
On the other hand, Fernández-Tapias' most important property, his mansion in Puerta del Hierro in Madrid, was already in the name of González, with whom he lived along with his two young children, Iván and Alma. The assets inside the home, however, must be distributed according to the will.
The tensions in the Tapias family are not limited to the oldest children. Fernández-Tapias's relationship with his wife was also turbulent. In 2018, suspecting infidelity, he hired detectives to follow her, which triggered conflicts in her marriage. María Eugenia Yagüe points out that this monitoring detailed González's movements through several cities, including suspicious encounters.
In addition, the businessman had experienced memory difficulties, to the point of not remembering the number and names of his children. This led to a court case in 2021, in which he was declared partially incapacitated. Curiously, in this trial, Fernández-Tapias was affectionate towards his children, which contrasts with his later decision to disinherit them.
