Judge Jacquelyn High-Edward voided the 2019 will of Spokane property magnate Harlan Douglass on Oct. 26, 2026, finding that two of his children manipulated him into signing documents while he suffered from severe dementia. The 58-page ruling disqualifies Lanzce and Stacey Douglass from inheriting their father’s estimated $600 million fortune, a blow that effectively hands the estate to their older brother, Harley. The decision follows years of litigation over a will that shifted 65% of the assets to Lanzce and 35% to Stacey, leaving Harley with a mere $1,000.
The estate includes a real estate portfolio worth roughly $350 million and promissory notes valued at $155 million. High-Edward determined that Harlan, who died in November 2023 at age 86, was too cognitively impaired to understand the documents he signed in 2019. By that point, he relied on others for basic tasks like medication management and reading paperwork, a vulnerability the younger siblings allegedly exploited.
This isn't the family's first legal war. A 2023 court already invalidated a "Hamilton Deed" that transferred assets from Harlan’s late wife, Maxine, to the younger siblings. Witnesses at that time noted Harlan struggled to stay awake while signing the transfer. Now, with the 2019 will struck down, the court must decide if the voided shares pass to the siblings' children or revert entirely to Harley, potentially pushing the total value in dispute beyond $1 billion.
The final distribution remains pending as the court calculates the exact split under the original 2018 will, which called for an equal division. Until then, Harley holds the legal high ground, having proven his father’s vulnerability in a case that has torn the family apart for a decade.