Tony Hsieh, former Zappos CEO, died without will
Former Zappos CEO and Las Vegas tech entrepreneur Tony Hsieh left no will before he died last month, court documents show.
A court filing on behalf of his family on Wednesday stated that they are “unaware of the existence of a fully executed estate plan and have a good faith belief that the Decedent died intestate.”
Hsieh died Friday at age 46 from complications of smoke inhalation after he was injured in a house fire in Connecticut, according to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. But officials said an investigation into the death is ongoing.
A death certificate attached to Wednesday’s filing listed the cause as “pending further studies.”
Through attorneys, Hsieh’s father, Richard, and brother Andrew want an order that would allow them to access his accounts and protect his assets. Hsieh’s mother, Judy, and other brother, David, were listed as next of kin in the filing.
The family’s lawyers wrote that they “seek authority to investigate the existence of an estate plan by accessing safe deposit boxes, speaking with the Decedent’s legal counsel and associates, and taking such other reasonable acts to ensure that Decedent’s properly executed testamentary directives are implemented.” Family members “need to gain access to the Decedent’s personal papers that may be in a safe deposit box or in the possession of legal counsel. The inability to readily locate any such fully executed estate planning documents has created a delay in the ability to file to have letters of administration or letters testamentary issued.”
Tony Hsieh was worth an estimated $840 million when he died. He had moved Zappos from a suburban Henderson office park to the 11-story former Las Vegas City Hall in 2013. He also launched his side company, then called Downtown Project, in 2012 to put $350 million into real estate, restaurants, tech startups and other ventures in the Fremont Street area.
Family members also want to access his social media accounts and are seeking information from financial institutions that have “engaged in transactions concerning the financial affairs” of Hsieh, according to the filing.
A special administrator, likely his father, would “garner and protect the assets of the estate and otherwise manage the Decedent’s business and personal affairs,” the filing stated.
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Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.