Carl-Clemens Veltins Fighting an Uphill Battle in Million-Dollar Inheritance Dispute
Son of Veltin engages in warworth fight for staggering fortune of inheritance
The long-running inheritance battle involving Carl-Clemens Veltins, scion of one of Germany's most successful brewing families, has taken a turn. Today, a regional court dismissed his claim for a fair share of his mother's inheritance, citing an explicit disinheritance in her will.
Carl-Clemens, now 63, has been on a crusade to claim his rightful portion of the fortune, but his attempts have hit a brick wall. His mother, long-time owner of the Sauerland brewery, left her wealth to her two sisters, disinheriting Carl-Clemens in the process.
"Blood is thicker than money," the judge stated, dismissing Carl-Clemens' claim. Any potential compulsory portion claims expired more than 30 years after his mother's demise, the judge said, adding that a child's exclusion from a will must be respected.
Inspite of the inevitable judgement, Carl-Clemens appeared untroubled before the trial began. With the inheritance estimated to be worth millions, the stakes were high. The court valued the dispute at 30 million euros, and before the trial commenced, Carl-Clemens had to pay a deposit of 360,000 euros to cover legal costs. He attributed his delay in filing the lawsuit to lack of funds.
Carl-Clemens had two grounds for challenging his mother's will. First, he argued that his mother was not of sound mind when she made it, and second, that he was pressured into forfeiting his compulsory portion claim when he was just 18 years old. The defense denies these allegations, claiming that the family entrepreneur continued to run the business until her death. The court ruled against both arguments.
The Veltins sisters, the beneficiaries of the estate, opted not to attend the trial. One of them, Susanne Veltins, now runs the brewery alongside her nephew, one of Germany's best-known.
The Veltins Brewery, ranked third in Germany in beer consumption by the industry magazine "Inside", employs over 700 people and generates annual revenues of around 460 million euros. The company insists that the ongoing legal dispute has not affected its business. The defence in the case argues that the claims have expired, and maintains confidentiality about the family dispute.
Carl-Clemens, however, grabbed the opportunity to share his perspective on the family dynamics, describing a power struggle that left him in the dark. "I didn't know a thing. I swear to it," he said, adding that contradictions were not tolerated by his mother. The question of whether his signature on a crucial waiver, after a night of heavy drinking, holds any legal weight will be decided by the court.
Despite Carl-Clemens' protests that he was uninformed and misled, the court did not entertain his arguments, reminding parties of their duty to cooperate in enforcing their rights. With the judgement now final, an appeal can be made to the Higher Regional Court. Whether this will bring peace to the Veltins siblings remains uncertain.
The Community policy and the Business's employment policy might have been impacted by the ongoing dispute, given the substantial financial implications and potential impact on employee morale. Despite the dismissal of his claim, Carl-Clemens' financial ties to the Sauerland brewery, a key part of the business, remain unclear, especially concerning the contested waiver signed under questionable circumstances.
