Popsquire

Heath Ledger died one year ago today.  So sad.

[PR Photos]

Technorati Tags: dark knight, drug overdose, heath ledger anniversary death

Heath Ledger’s insurance company is not joking around…

According to TMZ, the insurance company holding Heath Ledger’s $10 million life insurance policy may not be paying up, and Heath’s estate is suing.  ReliaStar Life Ins. Co. claims that Heath’s death might have been a suicide, even though the New York Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death accidental back in February.

A suicide, of course, would trigger provisions in the policy that would permit the company not to pay.  ReliaStar’s lawyers say they intend to take the depositions of Mary-Kate Olsen, the masseuse who was at Heath’s home when he died, Heath’s co-stars on his last film, his agents, doctors, psychologists and others.

Popsquire’s perspective…

Matilda’s lawyers say this is a shady ploy to avoid paying the money and to drag out the process, and Popsquire agrees.  The longer this drags out, the more money Matilda will have to shell out in attorneys’ fees.  Delay is a very effective litigation strategy!

Technorati Tags: heath ledger, lawsuit, life insurance policy, matilda rose, new york medical examiner's office, pop culture law, reliastar life insurance company, Suicide

Heath Ledger’s sole heir and daughter, Matilda Rose, is inheriting his entire estate, estimated to be worth $20 million.  Although Heath’s will reportedly left everything to his parents and siblings, family members now confirm that they have decided to give everything to Matilda.

Of course, Matilda likely would give every penny back to have her father alive.  This makes Popsquire very sad.

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In case your tv exploded — which is the only legitimate excuse — and you missed last night’s episode of TV Guide’s “Hollywood 411,” here is the clip in which Popsquire’s pop culture legal expert, Russell Wetanson, discusses the conclusion of DEA investigation into Heath Ledger’s death.

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Put down those flashcards!

Stop studying the speculation surrounding Mary Kate Olsen’s alleged involvement in the DEA’s investigation into Heath Ledger’s death, because it’s over. According to E! News, law enforcement reps — speaking on condition of anonymity –have confirmed that that the DEA has closed its investigation.

Technorati Tags: dea, drug enforcement administration, E! News, heath ledger, mary kate olsen, pop culture law, prescription drugs

The federal government has a subpoena with Mary-Kate Olsen’s name on it!

In case you haven’t been following the drama surrounding Mary-Kate Olsen and the DEA’s ongoing investigation into Heath Ledger’s death, here’s what you need to know…

1. In February, the DEA launched an investigation into how Heath obtained the multiple prescription drugs that reportedly led to his accidental overdose.
2. Mary-Kate was publicly linked to the case when the masseuse who discovered Heath’s body allegedly called Mary-Kate three times before calling 911.
3. Speculation surfaced early this week that Mary-Kate was refusing to cooperate with the federal probe unless she was granted immunity in the case.
4. Mary-Kate’s attorney fired back: “Despite tabloid speculation, Mary-Kate Olsen has nothing whatsoever to do with the drugs found in Heath Ledger’s home or his body, and does not know where he obtained them.” While her attorney did not address the reports that Mary-Kate was seeking immunity from the feds, he did call descriptions of the investigation “incomplete and inaccurate.”
5. Today, E! News quotes a federal law enforcement source, stating that a subpoena with Mary-Kate’s name on it “was dated and signed on April 23, but it has not been enforced yet…We are still in negotiations. There are still negotiations with Mary-Kate’s lawyer and also with our U.S. Attorney’s Office, the prosecutors.”

Although appearing in the infamous 2006 Heath Ledger drug video, a woman has filed a lawsuit as “Jane Doe” against the men who filmed and distributed the footage to Entertainment Tonight. While you can read the entire lawsuit for fraud and invasion of privacy here, it can be summed up at paragraph 25 of the complaint as follows:

In short, employees of Splash drugged Mr. Ledger, a known drug user, and then videotaped him without his consent for the purpose of damaging his reputation and to make money. Plaintiff was also victimized and duped by Defendants so that Defendants could create a story by getting this actor to take drugs and then secretly film him and exploit his illness.

Popsquire’s perspective…

Jane Doe’s attorneys clearly wish to paint her as the victim in a plot to exploit Heath Ledger, but Popsquire sees it differently. By seeking to recover “ill-gotten gains,” Jane Doe really is looking to share in any profits from the video.

If she really was opposed to supplying Ledger with drugs or filming his use, then she could have stepped in at the time and stopped the activities back in 2006. However, she did nothing!

TMZ has obtained a copy of Heath Ledger’s will.  Finalized before the birth of his daughter Matilda, the will leaves everything to Heath’s parents and siblings.  Although Popsquire is proud of Heath for having a will at all, it is extremely important for everyone to update, update, update!

If you don’t update your will every year, you should at least do so along with any major life event, including: (1) the birth of a child; (2) the death of anyone listed in the will; (3) marriage; (4) divorce; (5) adoption; and/or (6) a significant change in assets or income.

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Just when Popsquire figured that the Heath Ledger story would not present any further collisions between pop culture and law, TV Guide reports that the DEA “has launched an investigation into how Ledger obtained the multiple prescription drugs that led to his accidental overdose.”

Of course, this makes Popsquire wonder why the DEA did not launch an investigation into the death of Anna Nicole Smith, who also died from prescription drug combination approximately one year ago.

Hmm…

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According to the NY Post, an unidentified man pretending to be Heath Ledger’s father has: (1) contacted Tom Cruise and John Travolta; (2) spoken with the doctor who performed Heath’s autopsy; and (3) even duped the Manhattan funeral home where the tragic actor’s body was held before being flown to Los Angeles into booking him rooms at the nearby Carlyle hotel.

Popsquire’s perspective…

This is sick and smacks of (1) fraud and (2) larceny by false pretenses. In New York, larceny by false pretenses generally refers to obtaining property — e.g., a hotel room paid for by someone else — by misrepresenting facts relating to the promise.

Popsquire can think of only one phrase to express how he feels about this…Oh My Gosh…by the Basement Jaxx…

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According to CNN, an autopsy was unable to determine Heath Ledger’s cause of death.  Next step – a cause-of-death examination, which may take approximately two weeks and still may not provide any answers.

Popsquire pop quiz: what types of evidence do examiners analyze to determine whether a death is caused by suicide or overdose?

Whether a death is caused by accidental overdose or suicide is extremely difficult to determine.  Factors to consider include, but are not limited to: (1) amount/type of drugs in system; (2) existence/absence of a suicide note; (3) history of drug use; (4) history of depression or mental illness; (5) existence of medical problems; and (6) recent communications.

Notably, most deaths involving drugs are not labeled suicide, especially when someone has a history of drug problems.  

Popsquire’s perspective… 

Popsquire believes that Ledger’s death will not be deemed a suicide and even may not be deemed related to drug abuse, especially given reports that he also may have been suffering from pneumonia.  Most of all, Popsquire hopes there are answers, especially for Heath’s family.

Technorati Tags: death, drug addiction, heath ledger, law, pop culture, prescription, sleeping pills, Suicide