Could Olive Watson's “Daughter” Yet Inherit?

Remember the tricky estate planning case of Olive Watson, granddaughter of Thomas J. Watson, Sr., founder of IBM?

In Maine, one of the few states permitting adult adoptions, Olive had adopted her lesbian lover, Patricia Ann Spado. The couple split up, but after the death of her adoptive grandmother Patricia sought a share of the Watson fortune.

At the urging of two trustees of Watson trusts, a probate court annulled the adoption. Patricia pursued her case to the Maine Supreme Court. Yesterday the Supremes ruled that the adoption stands.

Mrs. Watson's Meticulous Will

Remember A tricky estate planning case, in which Olive Watson's adoptive daughter (and former lesbian lover) sought a share of the fortune left by Olive's father, Thomas J. Watson, Jr.?

Olive's mother, also named Olive, died at age 86, leaving the largest estate, over $126 million, to pay Connecticut probate fees last year.

Mrs. Watson made a new will, running more than 30 pages, shortly before her death. As described in the Hartford Courant, it's the work of a woman who clearly tried to leave no loose ends.

Specific pieces of jewelry were labelled for her granddaughters.

Mrs. Watson's six children will share summer usage of the 300-acre Watson compound on North Haven island in Maine:

[T]ime slots "shall be allocated on a rotating basis an equal period of use of such main residence during such period," Watson's will states.

What's more, "There should be at least a day or two between each such allocated period to permit the house to be cleaned and put in order for use during the next period."

Thomas J. Watson III, her oldest son, gets his choice of her cars, though she deemed the choice a formality: "I expect that my son will select my Mercedes sport coupe."

Summer of 1909, by Frank W. Benson, was painted at North Haven