Paul Walker, an actor of “Fast and Furious” fame, was killed in an accident last November and left his entire estate to his teen daughter, Meadow.
Meadow lived with her mother, Rebecca Soteros-who was Paul’s ex-girlfriend, in Hawaii, while Paul lived in L.A. for much of the girl’s childhood. However, the last few years and until his death in November, Meadow had been staying with her father. According to reports, the two had become very close and Paul had commented that he was focused too much on fatherhood rather than finding a significant other: “Right now there’s only time for her,” he said of his daughter, Meadow.
Following the death of her father, Meadow called him “My REAL life hero!” on Facebook. “When I was little he taught me to walk, taught me to smile and taught me to never give up,” she added. “I loved him even before I knew what love was.”
In the petition, Grandmother Cheryl Ann, claims that Rebecca Soteros, Meadow’s mother, “has a drinking problem.” (Soteros has been arrested for 2 DUIs – one in 2003 and one in 2013). Cheryl Ann reportedly stated that she is qualified for the responsibility because she has raised four children of her own and is a registered nurse.
Currently, the “Fast & Furious” star’s father, Paul Walker III, is named executor of the estate, which was estimated at $25 million in 2001, but is now reportedly listed at $16 million. The will is said to include a provision that if Walker III is “unable or unwilling” to take on that responsibility then the family’s matriarch is next in line until Meadow is of legal age to obtain it. According to court documents, “(It) will be necessary and convenient for Petitioner to be appointed as the guardian of the person and of the estate.”
It is reported that Meadow and her mother, Rebecca Soteros, are now living with the grandmother. However, Cheryl Ann Walker is seeking legal guardianship for two main reasons: (1) Soteros is an unfit mother due to alcoholism and (2) Cheryl Ann is trying to protect the multimillion-dollar estate that Meadow is listed as sole beneficiary.
As a side note, more and more children are living with grandparents. In 2010, about one in 14 U.S. children (7 percent) lived in a household headed by a grandparent-for a total of 5.4 million children, up from 4.7 million in 2005.1 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010. It will be interesting to follow the outcome of this case.
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Source: Paul Walker’s mom files for guardianship of his daughter Meadow Walker due to her mother’s drinking problem, by Zayda Rivera / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, Thursday, March 20, 2014