Wallis Annenberg's closing chapter marked by opioid inducement, allegations of misuse, and a contentious family dispute
Wallis Annenberg, the heiress to her father's publishing empire, passed away at the age of 86. Her final weeks were marked by a legal battle over her medical care, calls to the police, and a frantic effort by her children to dislodge her personal assistant, Vikki Levine, from overseeing her care.
The dispute did not touch on the family's wealth but focused on concerns about Annenberg's medical treatment. The Annenberg children, Gregory, Lauren, and Charles, alleged that Levine was dismissing longtime staff and overmedicating their mother during her hospice care in her final days. They claimed that the cocktail of narcotics kept their mother "in a vegetative state" and risked catastrophe.
Dr. Peter Phung, of Keck Medicine of USC, visited Annenberg and determined that she was being overmedicated, according to the children's court filings. Another healthcare worker, a registered nurse of 40 years, was dismissed after objecting to providing Ativan to Annenberg. The nurse alleged that Vikki Levine forbade the staff from keeping a proper medication log and allowed Annenberg to drink alcohol, even while on medication.
Annenberg's housekeeper and caregiver of nearly 20 years stated that she witnessed Vikki Levine forcing pills into Annenberg's mouth when she did not want to take them. The children provided signed declarations from these caregivers, who claimed to have been ousted after observing forgery of records and misrepresentations to Annenberg's doctors.
The directive that endowed Vikki Levine with primary authority over Annenberg's medical decisions has been cast in doubt by the children. Judge Gus T. May found "good cause" to suspend Levine from serving as Annenberg's healthcare agent and appointed Jodi Pais Montgomery in her place. Montgomery was instructed to follow Annenberg's advance healthcare directive and share confidential medical information with the Annenberg children, as well as with the Levine sisters.
Vikki and Kris Levine adamantly denied overmedicating or mistreating Annenberg. They claimed that the children's accusations stemmed from their sadness about Annenberg's cancer diagnosis, their lack of control over her care, and her decision to die peacefully. Kris Levine accused the Annenberg children of creating a "toxic environment" during their visits.
Annenberg opted to go into hospice in the final weeks of her life. Around early May, she began hospice care with medication aimed to alleviate pain and anxiety. Tragically, Annenberg died less than a week after Montgomery was appointed.
Annenberg's death drew tributes from various public figures, including former President Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Despite the legal dispute, her children's efforts to oversee and protect their mother's care increased significantly, and Levine was removed from that responsibility. The precise identity of the appointed healthcare agent after Levine’s suspension is not provided in the available information.
[1] Source: Los Angeles Times [2] Source: The Hollywood Reporter
- Despite a legal battle over her medical care, Wallis Annenberg, the heiress to her father's publishing empire, died less than a week after her children's efforts to oversee and protect her care increased significantly, following her removal from hospice care.
- The Annenberg children, Gregory, Lauren, and Charles, claimed that their mother's personal assistant, Vikki Levine, was overmedicating Wallis Annenberg during her hospice care in her final days.
- Tragically, Wallis Annenberg, who opted for hospice care in her final weeks, died after a dispute over her medical treatment, with concerns raised about her caregiver, Vikki Levine.
- Annenberg's housekeeper and caregiver of nearly 20 years, along with another healthcare worker, alleged that Vikki Levine forbade the staff from keeping a proper medication log and allowed Annenberg to drink alcohol, even while on medication.
- The children provided signed declarations from their caregivers, who claimed to have been ousted after observing forgery of records and misrepresentations to Annenberg's doctors.
- The directive that endowed Vikki Levine with primary authority over Annenberg's medical decisions has been cast in doubt, leading to her suspension and the appointment of Jodi Pais Montgomery as Annenberg's healthcare agent.
- The dispute over Wallis Annenberg's medical care did not touch on the family's vast wealth in finance, entertainment, education, health, and science, but focused on concerns about her medical treatment, implicating her personal assistant, Vikki Levine, and the culture of her caregiving environment in Los Angeles, California.
