War over 'The Muppet Show' mogul's £29m fortune: TV producer's girlfriend fights his estranged wife for multi-million-pound payout from his will - but she claims there's only £320K left
The girlfriend of a TV and film mogul who helped bring 'The Muppet Show' to the UK has gone to war with his estranged wife after she claimed his £29million fortune had dwindled to just £320,000.
Movie producer Justin Bodle died suddenly aged 58 after suffering a catastrophic stroke on holiday in the south of France with his partner Lucinda, 38, in July 2019.
Mr Bodle, who played a key role in licensing the TV rights to the 'Muppet Show' in the UK, left an estate initially valued at £29million, including a Chelsea townhouse, his French villa and a sumptuous stately home in Kent.
His last will, in 2013, named his estranged Hungarian lawyer wife, Dr Kinga Hazai, 55, as the heir to his fortune, leaving his lover at the time of his death, Lucinda, without a penny, London's High Court heard.
But when Dr Hazai, the executor and mother to their daughter Elsa, applied for probate in 2021, the estate was dramatically slashed from £29million to £7.1million after expenses and taxes including inheritance tax were settled.
Once probate is granted, the executor must locate all of the deceased's assets, settle any outstanding debts and taxes and distribute the inheritance to anyone else named in the will.
Ms Bodle is now set for an inheritance court showdown with Dr Hazai as she fights for a multi-million pound payout from the estate as 'reasonable provision' to provide for herself and the two children they had while they were together.
Defending the estate, Dr Hazai says there is not enough of the fortune left, claiming it has shrunk even further to £320,674 due to money the estate owed, administration expenses, other payouts and £1million held back due to possible claims by others.
Movie producer Justin Bodle died suddenly aged 58 after suffering a catastrophic stroke while holidaying in the south of France
Pictured is Lucinda Bodle who was in a relationship with the film mogul when he died in 2019
Mr Bodle's £29million estate was left behind to his estranged wife, Dr Kinga Hazai (pictured)
Mr Bodle left an estate initially valued at £29million, including a Chelsea townhouse, his French villa and a sumptuous stately home, Groombridge Place (pictured), in Kent
The widow and lover are now set to face off in court over the late mogul's money, with lawyers for Ms Bodle questioning exactly how the money was spent and why his former home was sold for less than its original valuation.
Dr Hazai claims that Ms Bodle, who changed her name to match her lover's by deed poll, was deluded about the extent of the fortune, insisting his financial affairs were left in 'an almighty mess' when he died.
Mr Bodle - hailed by colleagues as a 'born dealmaker' - started out selling advertising space after a spell in the Army before going on to forge a career as a media negotiator and then producer.
In 1987, he hammered out the first 'barter deal' for 'The Muppet Show' in Europe and was also involved in Jim Henson's 'Fraggle Rock'.
Later, he founded his own company, Power Television, producing dramas such as Henry VIII with Ray Winstone.
Other screen hits included 'Flood' in 2007, starring Robert Carlyle and Tom Hardy, which focused on an apocalyptic flood engulfing London.
He acquired his iconic Grade-I listed stately mansion, Groombridge Place, a 17th century moated Manor House set in 200 acres near Tunbridge Wells, in 2001.
The redbrick Jacobean stately home is renowned for its formal gardens and vineyards, and has been used as a location for period movies including 'The Draughtsman's Contract' and the 2005 version of 'Pride and Prejudice'.
In past centuries, it was reputedly a haunt for smugglers and in Victorian times Sir Arthur Conan Doyle set Sherlock Holmes' 'Valley of Fear' at the house.
After buying it, Mr Bodle transformed it into his family home, as well as a mini theme park, complete with pirate ship and mermaid adventures.
At the time of his death, he was in a long-term relationship with Ms Bodle, by whom he had two children, and she claims their wedding was 'around the corner' when tragedy intervened.
The widow and lover are now set to face off in court over the dead mogul's money, with lawyers for Ms Bodle (pictured) questioning exactly how the money was spent and why his former home was sold for less than its original valuation
However, his 2013 will named Dr Hazai as the heir to his fortune, London's High Court heard.
That will has now sparked a legal clash between the two women, with Ms Bodle asking for 'reasonable financial provision' from his estate under the 1975 Inheritance Act.
Now forced to pay rent on her own home after Groombridge Place was sold, Ms Bodle has gone to court in a bid to force Dr Hazai to arrange her reasonable provision from the estate.
Ms Bodle, who previously earned £38,000-a-year as an executive assistant for her lover, wants £1.6million to cover her and her children's housing needs, plus enough money - likely to be another seven-figure sum - to invest and generate an income of £9,497 per month.
Edward Hewitt, the barrister for Ms Bodle, claimed Dr Hazai and the mogul were in the middle of divorcing when he died, adding: 'Justin and Lucinda had been in a relationship for just under six years at the date of his death and had two children together.'
Although his 2013 will bequeathed his entire estate to Kinga, Mr Hewitt claimed it 'did not reflect his testamentary wishes' as it was drawn up before their children were born and some years before he asked her to marry him.
'There can be no doubt that Lucinda has a very strong claim for reasonable financial provision from Justin's estate,' he said.
'Indeed, Kinga has admitted as much in open correspondence. The only issue between the parties is therefore how much Lucinda should receive.
'Her financial security and that of her and Justin's two young children depends on the outcome of this claim.'
Ms Bodle (pictured) has gone to court in a bid to force Dr Hazai to arrange her reasonable provision from the estate
In a hearing last week, Dr Hazai's barrister, Sarah Bayliss, disclosed that there are significant doubts over the liquidity of Mr Bodle's estate, which at one point seemed verging on insolvency.
His estate was valued following his death at £29,063,147 gross and £7,113,420 after tax, the court heard, but Ms Bayliss said that the funds available have now dwindled to £320,674.
The barrister claimed that, in reality, Ms Bodle was deluded about the extent of her lover's fortune, saying his financial affairs were left in 'an almighty mess'.
Ms Bayliss told the judge, Master Karen Shuman, 'on the one hand we have Lucinda who thought that Justin was a very rich man, but it turned out he was not.
'And on the other hand we have Kinga - his wife at the time of death - who had enough knowledge of Justin and his business dealings to appreciate that things were a very great deal more complicated.'
The judge commented that Justin had a 'very affluent lifestyle,' illustrated by trappings such as foreign properties, an expensive Ferrari and high value wine collection, which hinted at 'significant wealth behind that'.
But the barrister - who said there was 'no allegation of wrongdoing' against Dr Hazai - told the court that 'from an early stage Lucinda knew there was a strong chance that the estate was insolvent'.
While accepting that Ms Bodle 'now finds it very hard to believe there's no money,' she described the current financial position as a 'huge pickle' and labelled Justin 'an old school entrepreneur who played fast and loose with all sorts of things'.
There is also a row over why Groombridge Place was sold by Dr Hazai on behalf of the estate for £6.75million - £750,000 less than the original valuation - and that it had then been sold for £9m by its new owner 16 months later
In terms of providing for Ms Bodle, Ms Bayliss said she has already received 'some funding from the estate,' including a £90,000 cash payout, bereavement support worth £9,000 and rent free accommodation at Groombridge Place.
On top of that, Dr Hazai, as executor, had arranged for payments of about £2million to ensure all three of the kids are well provided for, said Ms Bayliss.
But Mr Hewitt said Lucinda had found it 'very difficult to obtain accurate and up-to-date information regarding the estate'.
'The most recent iteration of the estate accounts Kinga has produced appear to show that the sum available for distribution is a mere £320,674,' he said.
'This is after the deduction of various expenses, including some £722,480 which Kinga has purported to charge the estate as her remuneration for acting as executrix.
'Lucinda approaches the figures Kinga has produced with considerable circumspection.'
He said the estate administration expenses put forward at various times had fluctuated from about £1million to now being closer to £2.8million, with £772,480 what 'it is understood Kinga has purportedly tried to pay herself as remuneration for acting as executrix.'
'At the risk of stating the obvious, £722,480 would have a considerable impact on the net estate and thus on Lucinda's claim and consequently on her financial security,' he said.
'So the trial judge will be asked to decide whether Kinga is in fact able to charge remuneration for acting as executrix.'
He also noted that Groombridge Place was sold by Dr Hazai on behalf of the estate for £6.75million - £750,000 less than the original valuation - and that it had then been sold for £9m by its new owner 16 months later.
'It's not clear at this stage whether Kinga can be criticised for selling Groombridge at an undervalue,' said Mr Hewitt.
'However, on their face, the figures are striking and warrant an explanation.'
Dr Hazai insists the sums claimed by Mr Bodle are excessive - particularly given the threadbare state of the mogul's estate - and is set to dispute it at trial.
The widow says she fears that Ms Bodle cannot accept that the mogul was not as rich as she thought and that, 'no matter how much information she provides, it will never be enough.'
'The reality is that Lucinda thought that the deceased was a very great deal wealthier than in fact he was and will not accept the figures with which she is provided, notwithstanding they have been professionally drawn by respectable accountants,' said Ms Bayliss.
His 2013 will had left all of his estate to Kinga, she said, adding: 'The will expressly states that this provision is to apply even if he is divorced from Kinga before his death.'
Her barrister said Dr Hazai is planning to produce evidence from her 19-year-old daughter, Elsa, as a witness to testify about the relationship between her father and Lucinda.
'The point Lucinda makes is that this was an ideal relationship with marriage around the corner, but Kinga's position is somewhat different and Elsa's evidence goes to that,' Ms Bayliss told the judge.
In her written submissions, the barrister added that Elsa's evidence was crucial to assessing Justin's 'obligations and responsibilities and conduct'.
'Elsa's evidence goes to both matters in that she describes the difficulties of the relationship between Justin and Lucinda and the complex situation in which the family members found themselves following him starting a relationship with her,' she said.
'It's submitted that Elsa's statement gives rise to a strong inference that, even if Justin had changed his will before his death he would not have excluded Kinga and Elsa from benefit, nor would he have been justified in doing so.'
The case will return to court at a later date.
