The stepdaughter of renowned artist John Olsen unduly influenced her terminally ill mother to obtain a $2.2m “gift” two months before her death, a New South Wales judge has ruled.
The 91-year-old artist sued his stepdaughter Karen Howard Mentink in the NSW Supreme court, alleging unconscionable procurement of monies of the estate of his wife Katharine Howard-Olsen.
“(Ms Mentink), knowing of her mother’s illness, anxiety, change in behaviour, change in mood either was actively involved in or stood by and did nothing as she accepted an extraordinarily large gift,” justice John Sackar said on Friday.
“It was an act of self-indulgence, somewhat callous and extraordinarily selfish on the part of the defendant.”
At the time of Katharine Howard-Olsen’s death in December 2016 the couple had been married for 27 years.
On 11 October, 2016, she withdrew $2.2m and gave the money to her daughter.
Sackar upheld Olsen’s claim that his stepdaughter received the money by reason of “undue influence or unconscionability” over her mother.
