Billion-dollar battle over Georgian oligarch's estate as secret daughter fights his widow for share of his riches

You just never know what can happen with an estate. In the case of  the estate of Kakha Bendukidze, a billionaire industrialist who lived in Russia and Georgia, and died last year in London, it's an unknown daughter. 

When Mr. Bendukidze died a few months ago, his wife of 15 years assumed that she would inherit the estate. However, a 24-year-old woman named Anastasia Goncharova has come forward and claimed that she is his daughter, and entitled to part of the estate. It's hardly unusual for distant relatives to come out of the woodwork when there is a substantial estate on the go. However, this particular young woman has posted several photos of herself with her alleged father on social media over the years.

The matter has come down to a request by Ms Goncharova to the court to order that a tissue sample from the deceased be released so that she can have a DNA test done to prove paternity. The wife is opposing the request, saying that as the next of kin she has the right to control her husband's remains. 

The MailOnline has a more detailed story about this. Click here to read it. Though this is not a Canadian story, it's interesting to see the unanticipated twists and turns an estate can take. Whenever I talk to men or couples about will planning, I make a point of asking about children from previous relationships (and not just previous marriages). I wonder if Mr Bendukidze's lawyer did as well. And most of all, I wonder what Mr Bendukidze said. 

I'll be watching this story with interest.