Volgograd court postpones hearing on suicide inheritance case

The Krasnoarmeysky District Court of Volgograd has postponed hearings on the high-profile inheritance case due to the judge«s resignation. A new judge is now handling the case related to the suicide of 53-year-old Yevgeny Asaulenko.

The man took his own life in his apartment in the Krasnoarmeysky District, leaving a suicide note for his mistress named Natasha. In it, he apologized and bequeathed to her all his property, including a three-room apartment, a large sum of Lukoil shares, garages, and land shares.

Asaulenko«s only relatives — his nephews — learned of their uncle»s death only by chance when they visited the cemetery on Easter day. They had not been notified of the suicide, the cremation, or that the inheritance had passed to a woman unknown to them.

The nephews filed a lawsuit to have the will declared invalid. After the previous judge resigned, the case was transferred to a new judge, and both sides of the conflict have spoken at several hearings.

The nephews« lawyer, Tatyana Levshinskaya, reported that a forensic expert has already been questioned. However, the key question of whether Asaulenko was of sound mind when he made the will a month before his suicide remains unanswered. Meanwhile, the examination established that the man had a disease according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

«Due to the resignation of the previous judge — she retired — the case is being considered from the beginning and with a new panel. The parties spoke again, each presenting their position. The forensic expert has been questioned, but the fact that the answer to the last question is missing raises doubts about the examination. The question »Was he of sound mind when writing the will a month before the suicide« remains unanswered. However, the examination diagnosed the deceased with a condition according to the ICD. This means that the man was found to have a disease in a certain form,» the lawyer said. She added that the notary is present at every hearing, fearing that the will might be declared invalid, and the court will send inquiries to private clinics and medical institutions.