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Shelley Duvall’s ‘Common Law’ Husband Facing Opposition After Demanding Cut of Actress 6-Figure Estate
Shelley Duvall’s longtime partner Dan Gilroy’s attempt to take over control of her estate is being opposed days after he demanded a cut of her property, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, a court-appointed lawyer asked that “all relief sought by [Dan] be denied.”
As In Touch first reported, Dan, 77, filed a petition to be named administrator of Shelley’s estate days after her July 11 death.
He said he was “interested in the Estate” and described himself as the “surviving common law spouse of Shelley.”
Shelley and Dan were in a relationship for 35 years but never got married.
The couple lived at Shelley’s home in Texas after leaving Hollywood in the mid ‘90s.
In his filing, Dan said Shelley “owned property described generally as cash, real estate, personal effects and household goods of a probable value in excess of $100,000.”
Dan said Shelley own the home she passed away in and 10.676 acres of land. Shelley did not have any children.
The only other heirs are her three brothers: Shane Duvall, Stewart Duvall and Scott Duvall.
In his paperwork, Dan argued that, while he was never married to Shelley, they had lived as husband and wife. He said he would show “(1) they had an agreement to be married and demonstrated an intention to create a present, immediate and permanent marital relationship. (2) they lived together in Texas as husband and wife after forming the deal (3) told others in Texas that they were married.”
Dan asked that he be named administrator and handle the distribution of Shelley’s assets. He proposed he be awarded 100 percent of community real property, 50 percent of separate real property and 100 percent of community and separate personal property.
He said Shelley’s brother should each be awarded 1/6th of separate real property. Shelley’s brothers have yet to respond in court.
However, the judge presiding over the case filed by Dan appointed a lawyer to defend the interest of “any unknown heirs” who have not responded in court yet.
This week, the court-appointed lawyer entered a general denial to Dan’s petition.
The lawyer also asked for Dan to pay her a reasonable amount in legal fees to work on the matter. The lawyer asked that “all relief sought by Applicant be denied” but did not provide any reasoning for the move. A judge has yet to rule. Shelley was married to her ex Bernard Sampson in 1970, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1974.
After her death, Dan told The Hollywood Reporter, “My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley.”
Shelley, who was known for her role in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, was honored by the late director’s team after her death. A Twitter account for Stanley wrote, “Shelley’s career was varied and long. Despite being dogged with exaggerations of her treatment on set, Shelley was always vocal about her experience filming The Shining saying she ‘wouldn’t trade it for anything’ because ‘working with loveable Stanley was a fascinating learning experience.’ Our thoughts are with Shelley’s friends and family.”
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