The mistress of a wealthy businessman has successfully claimed his $40 million estate after he left his entire fortune to his daughter.
Giovanni ‘John’ Angius, 85, from Sydney, died a week after testing positive for Covid in January 2022, leaving his estate to his daughter Jenny.
His lover Thi Quy Le, 61, and his granddaughter Natalie Angius, 34, filed separate lawsuits claiming they were both entitled to his will.
The family’s dark and bloody history was brought to light in the New South Wales Supreme Court and included revelations that Mr Angius began an affair with Ms Le while he was still married to his wife Laura Angius.
Ms Angius was found dead at the bottom of the stairs of her $6 million home in Coogee, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, in 2012. Angius’ son, Robert, accused his father of involvement in her death.
Court documents show the couple’s relationship was strained and that a violence injunction had been issued against Mr Angius five years earlier.
That same year, Mrs. Angius took her daughter Jenny to the lawyers to draw up a will and protect her children in the event that she predeceased her husband.
Mr Angius owned a car repair business in Waterloo, where he met Ms Le, 27 years his junior, in 2000.
Thi Quy Le, the lover of wealthy businessman John Angius, successfully claimed his estate
She claims they began an affair in 2003, when he was still married to his wife.
From 2005 to 2008, Ms Le managed a pool hall business in Coogee, owned by Mr Angius and his wife.
In February 2007, Mrs Angius confronted her husband about the matter, alleging that he was having an affair with Mrs Le.
A month later, the feud flared up again at their Coogee home, with Mrs Angius suffering injuries after a fall.
She alleged that Mr Angius had beaten her, which he denied, the High Court heard.
An AVO was brought against Mr Angius on behalf of his wife and he was charged with assault.
According to court documents, Mr. Angius has pleaded guilty, but no conviction has been established.
According to a police report, Robert allegedly confronted Ms Le at his father’s bodyshop in May 2007 and told her: “Get out of the garage in Coogee”.
Court documents show that an AVO has been filed against Robert on behalf of Mrs Le.
In June 2007, Ms Le was also granted an interim injunction against Ms Angius, which remained in force for two years.
The photo shows the house where Laura Angius was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in Coogee, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Mr. and Mrs. Angius separated in 2011, causing a major rift in the family.
Court documents show that Mr Angius’ daughter Jenny sided with his mother, while his son Robert sided with his mother.
Mr Angius wrote his will in April 2021, in which he did not name either Mrs Le or Natalie as beneficiaries.
Following his death on January 31, 2022, a funeral was held on February 5, with both Mrs. Le and Natalie in attendance.
Less than a week after the funeral, Mrs Le commenced proceedings for her interest in the claim. Natalie commenced proceedings just under a year later, in January 2023.
In her court statement, Natalie claimed that when her grandfather was ill in hospital in June 2021, he visited her and told her that his will had been “hastily written” and that “I needed to change it”.
She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014. She said Mr Angius regularly supported her financially as an adult, including giving her money when she was not eligible for Centrelink benefits.
The court heard that Natalie had helped her grandfather in the last five years of his life by doing things such as shopping, cooking and helping with paperwork and administrative tasks.
The 34-year-old lives at home with her mother and does not work, and her various medical conditions have a major impact on her life.
Mrs Le’s claim that she was living as a de facto partner to Mr Angius was rejected by Judge Mark Richmond, who did acknowledge that they had a ‘close personal relationship’ at the time of his death.
Court documents show that Mr Angius gave Ms Le $1,000 in allowances each week between 2003 and 2011.
He also paid for household expenses, such as groceries, and for Mrs. Le’s groceries so she could shop, buy cosmetics, eat out and visit nail salons.
Mr Angius also paid Mrs Le Run’s laundromat bills, as well as her car insurance and maintenance.
He also gave her between $2,000 and $3,000 seven times a year, on special occasions including Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
Ms Le had recorded conversations between her and Mr Angius from 2019 and 2021, to prove that she was in fact in a relationship with him.
Court documents show the two discussed the defendant’s will, with Mr Angius saying Ms Le was “very greedy” and asking if she “deserved” to be included.
Mr. Angius also called Mrs. Le ‘the Chinese lady’.
Ms Le and Natalie’s cases were heard in court on various dates from October last year through February. Judge Richmond delivered his verdict on 1 August.
He ruled that Mrs Le was entitled to the ownership of a block of flats that Mr Angius owned in Waterloo and which she operated as a launderette, and to $250,000.
Ms Le claimed she would have $31,000 left over to buy a new car, and accommodation similar to Mr Angius’ Coogee home where she sometimes stayed, worth $3.45 million.
She also asked for a “sum of cash that would allow her to live comfortably in her old age.”
Natalie, who is also incontinent and at high risk of ending up in a wheelchair, received $2.5 million from the estate.
Natalie had asked for $950,000 for an apartment adapted to her medical situation, $100,000 for an adapted car, and an amount sufficient to provide a cushion and income for future medical and care needs.
Mr. Angius’ estate was valued at $38 million, and $29.5 million after deducting debts.