Cars singer Ric Ocasek's widow Paulina Porizkova seeks a cut of his estate
By Cortney MooreFOXBusiness
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Three months after the death of Cars singer and guitarist Ric Ocasek, his supermodel wife Paulina Porizkova is seeking to get an "elective share" after being cut out of the musician's will, according to a report in Page Six.
The news comes a month after Porizkova's disinheritance was made known to the public through court papers.
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"I have made no provision for my wife Paulina Porizkova ('Paulina') as we are in the process of divorcing," the Cars frontman included in his will. "Even if I should die before our divorce is final … Paulina is not entitled to any elective share … because she has abandoned me."
Under New York law, the Porizkova is entitled to a third of Ocasek's estate as his widow, according to the report. However, that can all go out the window if it can be proved that Ocasek's claims of abandonment are indeed true.
Porizkova filed papers in Manhattan surrogate's court Tuesday to contest these claims.
"I, Paulina Porizkova, the surviving spouse of the Decedent, do hereby exercise the personal right of election," the court papers said, followed by Porizkova electing to take her elective share.
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Ocasek and Porizkova married in 1989, but after 28 years of marriage, they announced their separation in May 2018.
"Ric and I have been peacefully separated for the past year. The photos of our happy family are, in fact, happy family photos; we are just no longer a couple," Porizkova shared with her followers on Instagram at the time.
Although the pair ended their romantic relationship, they continued living together in his Gramercy Park townhouse in Manhattan.
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On Sept. 15, Porizkova discovered Ocasek dead in their home shortly after he had surgery.
"I found him still asleep when bringing him his Sunday morning coffee. I touched his cheek to rouse him. It was then I realized that during the night he had peacefully passed on," Porizkova wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.
The 75-year-old rock star passed naturally from heart disease, according to a medical examiner's office. Pulmonary emphysema, a type of lung disease, was also said to have contributed to Ocasek's death.
Ocasek's estate is said to be worth at least $5.115 million, according to court documents filed with his will – which was updated on Aug. 28, less than a month before his passing.
Porizkova wasn't the only member of Ocasek's family to get nixed from the will. Two of his six sons, Adam and Christopher, were also disinherited. However, the two sons Ocasek shared with Porizkova will receive a portion of his estate.
"Right now, we are exercising my clients' right to obtain information from the Estate. We'll see where it leads," Christopher and Adam Ocasek's lawyer August Venturini told Page Six regarding the sibling duo's legal moves.