Nicolas Puech, the heir to Europe’s richest family, reportedly plans to leave half his Hermès $13-billion fortune to his ex-gardener, and has started the legal process of adopting him.
The unnamed man who was described as a “servant, former gardener and handyman,” stands to inherit about 5.7% of Hermès shares should the adoption be approved.
But there is just one problem.
According to CNN, Puech wants to cancel a contract that would leave his fortune to the Isocrates Foundation.
Founded by Puech, the foundation supports public interest journalism and civil society organisations working toward a “healthy digital public space”.
In a statement which was shared with CNN, the organisation plans to contest the cancellation of their contract and said, “From a legal point of view, a unilateral cancellation of the contract of inheritance seems void and unfounded.”
However, there’s a loophole.
A provision on the contract says that if Puech becomes a father, that child would be entitled to a portion of his fortune; the very reason for him wanting to adopt his ex-employee.
Puech’s case poses striking similarities to that of L'Oréal heir Liliane Bettencourt.
Bettencourt inherited the L'Oréal fortune and became L'Oréal's principal shareholder shortly after her father’s death in 1957.
During a controversial court battle in 2010, recordings revealed Bettencourt had made young French artist François-Marie Banier her sole heir.
At the time of her death, the 94-year-old was worth an estimated at $44.3-billion.
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