Court rules in favor of Legion of Christ in case involving $60M will

February 12, 2015

The Rhode Island Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court ruling that the niece of Gabrielle Mee does not have legal standing to challenge her late aunt’s will, in which she left $60 million to the Legion of Christ.

The niece, who did not seek any part of her late aunt’s estate, contended that her aunt would not have left the funds to the Legion had she known more about the scandal surrounding Father Marcial Maciel, the order’s founder.

Mee’s husband, a bank director, died in 1985, and four years later the widow came in contact with the Legion. In 1991, according to the lower court ruling, Mee “became a consecrated woman with the Legion of Christ,” after “the Legion of Christ waived its usual consecration requirements to allow Mrs. Mee to expeditiously become a consecrated woman within their religious community.”

 

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Further information:

• Court: R.I. woman’s niece can't sue to reclaim $60 million left to Legion of Christ (Providence Journal)
• Judge issues ruling on Legion of Christ and widow’s $60M will (CWN, 9/14/12)