32. Julia’s Older Brother Sued Her To Keep Her Away From Their Mother’s Inheritance
Julia’s father died years before their mother. While she received some of her inheritance upon her father’s death, her mother’s estate was valued at $180,000 in 1865 (nearly $3 million today). However, the relationships between her siblings became so strained because of her support for slavery, that her brother refused to share the inheritance.
Julia’s brother, David Gardiner, sued his sister so she could not touch most of their mother’s estate. He cited that Julia was unfit to handle the estate because of her “mental incapacity.” David won the case in 1867, removing Julia from her mother’s will.