Liliane Bettencourt is the heiress to the L’Oreal cosmetics fortune. Forbes estimates her net worth at $13.4 billion and lists her as the richest woman in Europe.
Her daughter, Francoise Bettentcourt-Meyers fied a criminal complaint in December 2007 against Francois-Marie Banier, a photographer, for exploiting the frail Mrs. Bettencourt and influencing her to give him gifts valued at 1 .3 billion in euros plus life insurance policies and artwork. Read more at the New York TImes .
Now daughter Francoise has asked that her mother be put under judicial supervision. The case against Banier will come to court next week. The charge is what the French call "abus de faiblesse" — the exploitation of physical or psychological weakness for personal gain.