John Sullivan's Sister Loses Inheritance Case at Texas 3rd Court of Appeals

SAN ANGELO, TX — The woman claiming to be the heir to John Sullivan’s estate lost her appeal to the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin last week.

According to the opinion handed down March 20, Sullivan’s half sister Louise H. Chabot, was arguing the appointment of the temporary administrator was not according to the law. In legal terms, she claimed Michael E. Deadman’s appointment was void ab initio, or that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to do so.

If Deadman was not authorized to administer the estate, he could not settle claims against the estate, preserving what assets are left for Chabot to inherit should she prove her right to do so in probate court.

The appellate court determined that Deadman’s appointment was not void and affirmed the district court’s order authorizing Deadman, as temporary administrator, to settle all tort claims.

The Sullivan estate’s win means, absent an appeal by Chabot to the Texas Supreme Court, lawyers can continue slicing and dicing what is left of what was an estimated $8.4 million estate to those who claim they were harmed, including tort claims brought by victims alleging they were sexually abused by Sullivan when they were minors. Although now adults, court records hide the victims’ identities.

Louise Chabot emerged in April 2015, 19 months after Sullivan was found dead at his residence in Santa Rita, claiming to be John Sullivan’s sister, 12 years younger. She is from Worchester, Massachusetts and learned of her brother’s death while reading San Angelo LIVE! She and Sullivan shared the same mother but had different fathers, it was reported at the time.

Sullivan was facing charges on felony child sex crimes and was out of jail on bond when his bail bondsman Ray Zapata discovered him dead in his home on June 3, 2014. Days later, a handwritten will was produced in a Tom Green County probate court hearing bequeathing all of Sullivan’s assets to John Young, Sullivan’s criminal defense attorney.

Both Zapata and Young were later convicted of forging Sullivan’s will and both sentenced to prison. Zapata was sentenced to 180 days in jail and fined $40,000. He was also ordered by the court to pay $1.8 million in restitution. He is currently appealing his conviction and is free on and appeal bond. Young was sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined $40,000. He is currently serving time in a Texas penitentiary. Young has also filed an appeal.

During the Young trial, a State witness and forensic accountant said the value of what is left in the estate is in the neighborhood of $200,000.