The woman whose home caught on fire during Anne Heche‘s fatal car crash has sued the late actress’ estate for $2 million.
In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on November 9, Lynne Mishele claimed that she and her pets almost lost their lives in the August 5 crash that led to Heche’s death at age 53. In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Mishele alleged that Heche’s car “barreled through the front of her house and deep into its interior” before coming “to a halt just feet away” from her, her two dogs and her tortoise.
Mishele added that the accident left her “completely traumatized, unusually startled by hearing loud noises, plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of the incident, terrified of walking outside, and, atop that, without a place to live.” She also claimed that the fire caused by the crash destroyed “an entire life’s worth of her personal possessions.”
Heche was initially stable after the incident, but she later fell into a coma and was declared legally dead on August 12. The following month, her son Homer Laffoon, 20, was granted control of his late mother’s estate. The Another World star shared Homer with ex-husband Coleman “Coley” Laffoon.
Since then, Heche’s loved ones have been locked in a legal battle over the estate, with her ex James Tupper claiming that Homer and his mother were “estranged” at the time of her death. Heche dated the Big Little Lies alum, 57, from 2007 to 2018. They welcomed son Atlas, 13, in 2009.
In September court documents obtained by Us, Tupper stated that he didn’t believe Homer would act “in his brother’s best interest.” The Playing for Keeps star also alleged that Homer had not seen or spoken to his sibling since Heche’s death. “This is particularly upsetting given that Atlas is 13 years old, was with his mother on the day of her death, and he has reached out to Homer repeatedly,” Tupper’s legal team claimed in the documents.
Homer’s lawyers called Tupper’s allegations about his “suitability” to serve as executor “immaterial” as well as “inaccurate and unfounded.”
In October, a court denied Tupper’s request to become the guardian of Atlas’ portion of Heche’s estate until he turns 18. “We are pleased — but not surprised — with the court’s ruling this morning denying James’ petition to appoint himself guardian ad litem for Atlas,” a rep for Homer told Us at the time. “We look forward to the court resolving Homer’s petition at the next hearing and, in the meantime, Homer will continue to diligently administer the Estate pursuant to his authority as Special Administrator.”
