A year after Gene Hackman’s heartbreaking death, Gene Hackman’s reported $80 million estate is at the center of a legal drama.
Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico on February 26, 2025. Hackman’s date of death was determined to be February 18th, but Arakawa died of hantavirus infection a few days earlier, on February 11th.
Now, all the legal drama surrounding the “French Connection” star’s multimillion-dollar fortune, including the involvement of his estranged children, is coming crashing down on Page Six.
Attorney Julia L. Peters filed to become personal representative of Hackman’s estate on March 6, 2025, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
The document explains how Mr. Arakawa became Mr. Hackman’s first personal representative, followed by the actor’s attorney, Michael G. Suchin, and then Mr. Peters.
“Following the deaths of Betsy Arakawa Hackman and Michelle G. Soutine, Julia L. Peters is appointed with priority as personal representative,” court documents state. “Julia L. Peters accepts the nomination as personal representative.”
Hackman’s last will and testament, which Peters believes was “validly executed”, dated June 7, 2005, were included in the case.
Mr. Hackman mentioned in his documents his three children from a previous marriage to Faye Marta (Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie), but did not name them as his personal representatives.
Additionally, Hackman established two trusts before his death: the Gene Hackman Living Trust and the GeBe Revocable Trust.
Peters filed a motion on March 17, 2025 to appoint Avalon Trust, LLC, a financial firm of which Peters is principal advisor and partner, as successor trustee of the GeBe Revocable Trust and the Gene Hackman Living Trust.
Court documents say Avalon is “best placed to carry out Mr. Hackman’s ultimate instructions and intentions fairly and accurately in accordance with those intentions.”
Regarding the purpose of creating two separate trusts, legal expert Gregory Dole told Page Six that “trusts are generally used to avoid probate and allow assets to be managed privately.”
“A key role in any trust is the trustee, the person or company with the legal authority to manage the assets. The issue here appears to be focused on who is currently authorized to act as a trustee,” he added.
“What Avalon is trying to say in court here is that Avalon is best placed to manage the trust assets, and if Jean were alive, she would probably agree. Avalon is asking to be temporarily appointed as trustee of both trusts until further hearings can be held and all relevant evidence considered.”
On March 20, 2025, attorney Gregory W. McKenzie filed a motion on behalf of Hackman’s three children, Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie.
However, Mr McKenzie made no further submissions on behalf of the children. McKenzie did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Clarifying the children’s potential role, Dole said, “The fact that Gene’s children appeared before a lawyer a year ago is designed to ensure that that lawyer is kept informed of all events in the case, so that the lawyer can protect the children’s interests if necessary.”
“The fact that he has not filed any documents since then means that there have been no issues that would cause concern to the children in the way the court has dealt with them to date.”
Dole added: “At this point, it appears they are not disputing what the court is doing, but are simply seeking to be informed of all developments in the case in order to protect their interests when necessary.”
A few months later, on August 1, 2025, Peters filed court papers stating that she was “working diligently to inventory and value the decedent’s estate.”
In a final filing in the case dated Oct. 24, 2025, Peters said he created an inventory of the property Hackman owned at the time of his death.
The case is still ongoing. Representatives for Mr. Hackman and Mr. Peters did not respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Page Six previously reported that Hackman and Arakawa’s estates have an outstanding debt of $98,345.29 on a Citibank credit card.
The news that the couple was found dead along with their dog in their New Mexico home shocked Hollywood at the time.
Authorities initially attributed Arakawa’s death on February 11, at the age of 65, to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a rare rodent-transmitted virus.
Mr. Hackman passed away on February 18th from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease caused by hypertension and Alzheimer’s disease. He was 95 years old.
Their deaths remained unknown for several days until maintenance workers discovered them.
Authorities said Arakawa’s body had begun to decompose and showed signs of mummification, and that his home resembled a storage room.
Hackman was reportedly estranged from his children, but his daughters released a statement to Page Six shortly after news of his death broke.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy,” Hackman’s daughters Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman and granddaughter Annie said at the time.
“While he was loved and admired by millions around the world for his illustrious acting career, to us he was always just dad and grandpa. We will miss him dearly and are devastated by our loss.”
