In 2016, executors Rana Hadid, Peter Palumbo and Brian Clarke disagreed with Patrik Schumacher’s speech on social housing. In recent months, the quartet are warring over Schumacher’s desire to remove the other three as executors of the Hadid estate.
Now, Schumacher has released a statement explaining his motivations to replace the trio with three independent professional executors as following the wishes of Hadid and in no way financially beneficial to himself.
Joel Schumacher said: “There has been some misunderstanding about my intentions in the media coverage of my recent court application to substitute my co-executors.”
“In my capacity as executor and beneficiary of the estate of the late Dame Zaha Hadid, I applied to the High Court in London for an order to replace my current co-executors with independent professional executors.
“My actions as executor are faithful to her explicit wishes.”
“I have no intention to control the estate of the late Zaha Hadid, nor is my move motivated by or in any way connected to the prospect of personal financial gain.
“I have been working with Zaha Hadid since 1988 and we have been in close communication every day for 28 years until her passing in 2016. My intentions and actions as executor are faithful to her spirit, hopes and explicit wishes.”
Despite the fact that the four executors were appointed by Hadid, Schumacher believes that the change would follow the express wishes of Zaha Hadid in light of the way the estate has been managed following her passing.
A joint statement from Hadid, Palumbo and Clarkes, said: “These executors were appointed personally by Zaha Hadid because she trusted them to act in her best interests. All three were known to Zaha for decades, one was a close family member, and the other two were very good friends.”
Rana Hadid made the additional statement: “My Aunt would have been devastated to learn what Schumacher is doing.”
As Schumacher’s claim seems to oppose the wishes of Hadid, this complicated case is set to rumble on.
Have you been involved in similar executor disputes? How difficult is it to reach a resolution with warring executors?
