Henrietta E. Garrett married multimillionaire Walter Garrett. When Walter died in 1895, his will left his vast fortune to his wife. Henrietta, however, died intestate (without a will) in Philadelphia in 1930, leaving an estate of over $17 million, or over $200 million in today’s dollars! Nearly 26,000 claims were filed by persons claiming to be Henrietta’s heirs. Their testimony covered 390 volumes and over 115,000 pages. Finally, three persons were found to be first cousins of Henrietta. In 1953, after 23 years of litigation, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania finally ordered the Garrett estate closed.

CASE QUESTIONS

1. Should the law permit intestate succession by remote or distant heirs? Where should the law draw the line?

2. If no heirs had been found in this case, who would have inherited Henrietta’s estate: the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the United States?