A glamorous Australian personal assistant claimed she transferred $33,225 of her boss’s money into her account shortly after his death, as he instructed her to do so during a phone call just hours before his heart attack.
Last week, the New South Wales, Australia Supreme Court heard from Melbourne woman Zhenya Vernon who claims she was in a de facto partnership with European actor Daniele Legler, in a bid for a slice of his inheritance.
Legler died in April 2022, aged 72, leaving behind a multimillion-dollar fortune through property across New South Wales, Portugal, Lichtenstein and Malta.
After his death, his estate was handed to his five children as his only legitimate heirs.
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Despite a 30 year age gap, Vernon, who was Legler’s assistant, now claims she was also in a de facto relationship with the millionaire, taking his adult children to court.
In documents exclusively obtained by news.com.au, Vernon wrote an affidavit to the court after records showed she transferred $33,225 from Legler’s account to the pair’s joint account just days after he had died.
In an affidavit explaining the bank transfer, Vernon wrote to the court that Legler had called her about 3am on the night of his death, instructing her to make the transfer.
“I was on the mid-north coast of NSW and was just about to begin language classes which were conducted in London,” she wrote.
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“During this conversation, the deceased said words to the effect of: Can you please follow up on the transfer from 10 April 2022 from the cash account to the joint account? Please make sure that you transfer $32,570 ($49,141AU) from the cash account to the joint account to pay for the living expenses.”
In her affidavit, Vernon then goes on to explain that she didn’t immediately transfer the funds due to the time of the phone call and the fact she was travelling to the Sunshine Coast the next day with her mother in preparation for an upcoming surgery.
“[I] therefore made the transfer of $32,570 USD from the cash account to the joint account later in the day on 22 April 2022,” she wrote.
“Due to the overseas processing times the money arrived in the joint account on April 27 2022 and cleared on April 29 2022.
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“I have not made any further transactions … since the April 22 transfer.”
She also wrote that she would “regularly transfer money from the cash account for both Australian and European living expenses.”
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Vernon, who has since legally changed her last name to Legler “in memory of Dany”, told the court the pair went from a “professional relationship” to a “personal relationship” in 2018 and were living together at his home in Portugal.
She submitted a number of texts and emails to prove the pair were in a de facto relationship.
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In one text submitted to the court, Legler calls Vernon a “Russian mountain.”
Vernon was born in Russia, however, is an Australian citizen.
She currently lives in Melbourne and works as a visa consultant.
“Darling honey sweetheart love of mine? Call?” he stated in an exchange submitted to the court, dated March 31 2022.
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“I am in [Spain] now … later later …,” she replies.
“I know and miss you always. You are my Russian Mountain up and down. Full attention, full being.”
The oldest of Legler’s children, Nadja, 31, told the court that while the pair’s relationship may have gone beyond that of a personal assistant to a “sexual relationship” she did not believe they were together.
“She took the view that what Zhenya was doing in these proceedings was seeking to cheat her and her siblings out of their rightful inheritance, although she appeared to not quite understand the term “cheat out”,” the court decision states.
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In his final decision, Justice Ian Pike ruled that while Vernon was an “unsatisfactory and unreliable witness” who appeared to be “motivated by self-interest and financial gain” she did legally meet the criteria of a de facto spouse.
“Zhenya repeatedly refused to answer the question that she was asked but instead made long speeches which she believed would assist her case,” he noted.
Justice Pike said while the pair did travel constantly – mostly separately – both of them considered Legler’s residence in Lagos, Portugal to be their “base” and were therefore living there together.
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“I am satisfied that the relationship remained on foot as at the date of the death of the Deceased,” he said in his decision.
“She was his de facto within the meaning of the relevant statutory provisions.”
Justice Pike also ruled an independent person as administrator of the will going forward.
The matter is set to be relisted for a short hearing in July to hear the claim for costs.
