Judge bars two siblings from inheriting after ruling they abused billionaire father

Harlan Douglass built a Pacific Northwest property empire worth more than $1 billion, but disputes over his inheritance led to a prolonged feud among his children. A judge ruled that his two younger children and his girlfriend had unduly influenced his final wills and financially abused him, barring the siblings from inheriting.

A 2018 will divided the estate equally among Harlan’s three children, with each expected to receive about $330 million. Two wills signed in 2019 instead left 65 per cent to Lanzce, 35 per cent to Stacey and $1,000 to eldest son Harley; the younger siblings said this reflected their father’s wishes and accounted for about $400 million in earlier gifts to Harley. Harlan’s estate included 250 commercial buildings and about 2,000 apartments, and he died in 2023.