Not in the will

Supreme Court confirms inheritance for Birgit Lauda

The Lauda heirs appointed in the will also fail in their final appeal. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court confirmed the first judgment, which must now decide on the amount of the compulsory portion for the widow. And a solution is also on the horizon for the 14-year-old twins Max and Mia.

Birgit Lauda, widow of Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda, will receive the share to which she is legally entitled in the long-running inheritance dispute. After the Court of Appeal rebuffed the other side in the spring, the latter used the last opportunity to deny the 45-year-old her compulsory portion of one-sixth of the inheritance after all.

But even with this extraordinary legal remedy, the two older sons of "Niki Nazionale", Lukas and Mathias Lauda, failed. As the "Krone" reported, Birgit Lauda and the twins Max and Mia (14) do not appear in the will, as the former racing driver, who died in 2019, had not changed it since 2007. The three-time world champion married Birgit in 2008. "The Supreme Court has rejected the extraordinary appeal and confirmed the appeal judgment. The first judgment is therefore valid," says Christoph Kerres, Birgit Lauda's lawyer.

The Supreme Court has rejected the extraordinary appeal and confirmed the appeal judgment. The first judgment is therefore valid.

Dr. Christoph Kerres, Anwalt der Witwe 

Four children as equal heirs?
For years, attempts were made to prevent the widow from receiving the statutory compulsory portion of the inheritance. Now it is clear that the court of first instance only has to decide on the amount. A million-dollar poker game, as 16.6 percent of the estate is at stake, which is reportedly well into the three-digit million range.

It is also becoming apparent that the twins Max and Mia will be recognized as equal heirs, even though they are not included in the will. They would therefore be treated in the same way as Lukas and Mathias with regard to their inheritance claim. In their case, the Döbling district court has to decide.