In a case full of twists and bizarre facts, a Washington state appellate court recently held that the self-proclaimed love child of a deceased former president of Exxon Mobil could not inherit from either his or his widow's estates.

The alleged love child, Judith Patterson, was barred, the court found in a case of first impression for the state, because the term "lawful descendants" as used in a testatrix's will was intended to limit a class gift to the children of married parents. Estate of Wright, 196 P.3d 1075 (Wash. App., Dec. 8, 2008.)

ETHEL'S STORY

In 1956, a woman named Ethel, then married to a man named Robert Harris, gave birth to a daughter, Judith. Soon afterwards, Ethel put the girl up for adoption, and Ethel's acquaintances, Sarah Sue and George Adams, raised her.

The Adamses did not inform the girl of her natural parents' identities. But as an adult, Judith Patterson investigated those identities and became convinced that her biological father was a man named David Townsend (one of Ethel's ex-husbands).

Ethel learned of the young woman's belief and contacted her to say that she was indeed Judith's biological mother, but that Judith's biological father was a man whom Ethel had known only as "M.A. Wright" and with whom she had a brief love affair in Tulsa, Okla., in 1955.

Ethel had few recollections of M.A. Wright, but she told Judith that he'd worked for the Humble Oil and Refining Company and had been friends with numerous prominent oilmen and industrialists, including J. Paul Getty and Howard Hughes, whom Ethel claimed to have met in Tulsa at the time.

Ethel told Judith Patterson that when M.A. Wright heard of Ethel's pregnancy, he left Tulsa. Ethel also claimed that M.A. Wright later tried to send her checks, oil deeds and other valuable papers, but that Ethel's mother and aunt stole them.

Based upon Ethel's story, in 1990, Judith Patterson, then about 34 years old, contacted Myron A. Wright at his Exxon office.

According to The New York Times, Myron began his career as an oilfield roustabout in 1933, after graduating from Oklahoma State University as a civil engineer. He eventually became an executive vice president at Standard Oil before becoming, in 1966, chairman of Humble Oil. He served as president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 1966 to 1967, and as president of Exxon from 1973 to 1976.

Myron denied being Judith Patterson's father. The only biological child he ever acknowledged having was a daughter, also named Judith—Judith Wright—by his first wife, Izette.

Myron died in 1992, leaving a will executed that year. His will was probated in Texas. Judith Patterson attempted to intervene and file a claim against Myron's estate, requesting the probate court recognize her as Myron's heir and award her a portion of Myron's (presumably significant) estate.

Judith Patterson's only evidence in support of her claim was the story that Ethel had told her.

Later, before the appellate court, Judith Patterson would claim that, during the Texas probate proceeding, a blood sample had been taken from her confirming Myron as her father and that she had, at the time, been offered $50,000 to settle her claim. Attorneys for both Myron's estate and the executor filed sworn pleadings averring that neither the blood test nor the settlement offer ever occurred.

That executor was Myron's widow, a second wife named Josephine. She opposed Judith Patterson's attempt to intervene in the probate proceeding, denied that this Judith was Myron's daughter, and rejected the notion that she had a right to any of Myron's estate.