A few days ago when Birgit Wetzinger, widow of F1 legend Niki Lauda, expressed her intentions of suing his foundation for $32 million, the rest of his heirs vowed to fight her tooth and nail in the court. That was because Niki’s heirs, barring Birgit, intended to honor the will he had left behind. The trial has begun and Lauda’s lawyer, on the stand, has deemed her “unworthy” of inheriting his wealth, citing embezzlement allegations.

Niki, after a long bout of illness, passed away in the hospital in May 2019. He was still married to Birgit, who he has two children with. Niki also has two more children, from his first wife, Marlene.

Birgit’s attempt at grabbing Niki Lauda’s wealth backfires

Trips to the hospital had become frequent ever since Niki’s devastating crash in Nurburgring in 1976. Some of the injuries, especially to his lungs, had long-term repercussions, requiring him to go under lung transplant surgery twice. The first time, his brother donated a lung. When that failed, Birgit came forward as the donor.

The trial began on April 19 and Lauda’s lawyer, also a member of his foundation’s board, Hans Asenbauer, took the stand. During his interrogation, according to the Austrian newspaper Kuriert.at, “Asenbauer referred to an art collection consisting of about 50 paintings and jewels. The widow – according to the legal lexicon accused of being an ‘unworthy heir’ – rejected the accusations, explaining that she was the one who bought the items.”

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Birgit’s $32 million ask comes down to 16.5% of his inheritance. That is despite the fact that the share that she demands from his foundation is already paying her a handsome sum each month.

Lauda’s heirs unwilling to give in to Birgit’s demands

Given the wealth Lauda had amassed during his time as a driver and later as Mercedes’ non-executive chairman, he knew his inheritance might pose a problem after his passing. Given his two marriages and the children he had out of those, the fear was not unfounded. To manage it all, the Austrian put forth a will that was acceptable to everyone. Not to Birgit apparently, who initiated the suit despite drawing a monthly allowance of $21,850 from the same foundation.

A family friend recently told Kurier, “Birgit started all these proceedings although the rest of the family fully agree with the way Niki arranged it. They respect his will and are ready to defend it in court.”

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The trial is currently in full swing and it will not conclude before summer.