EXCLUSIVEBombshell verdict over actor's death after saucy texts to his glamorous blonde Aussie assistant
- Actor had left substantial estate to his five children
- Aussie assistant said they lived together in Portugal for six years
- Tribunal found decision to scrap relationship status was justified
- READ: Zhenya Vernon makes major claim for Daniele Legler's millions after claiming they were in a sexual relationship
A bid by an Australian woman to have a Victorian civil tribunal overturn a decision to void her relationship with a well-known Italian actor has spectacularly backfired.
Zhenya Vernon told the NSW Supreme Court that she was the de facto partner of elderly millionaire Daniele Legler, who left behind a small fortune when he died in 2022.
A series of raunchy texts between Ms Vernon, 44, and Legler, 72, convinced the Supreme Court judge she had indeed been in a secret relationship.
The court saw texts from the successful actor which he sent just hours before his death on April 22, 2022.
Mr Legler sent a message to Ms Vernon, a Russian-born Australian citizen, stating: 'Wouldn't mind having you in my pool…'
He continued the flirtatious text exchange with an offer to take her 'romantically' to La Biennale di Venezia, a cultural exhibition in the Italian city of Venice.
'I want to go to the desrt (sic) with you and I want to go in a boat with you. This year. And to Venice. And to Russia and Ukraine? I want to go with you,' he wrote.
Mr Legler then died of a heart attack at about 3am at one of his residences in Lagos, Portugal.
Zhenya Vernon, who was born in Russia but is an Australian citizen, claimed in the NSW Supreme Court she and Mr Legler were in a de facto relationship and had been living together at his beachside home in Portugal for six years before his death
European actor Daniele Legler (pictured left on the set of German TV show Kreuzfahrt ins Glück) left his estate to his five children
In June, Justice Ian Pike accepted Ms Vernon had been in a relationship with the dead actor, despite hearing evidence that Victoria's Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages had previously cancelled its registration of the domestic relationship.
Legler, who was born in Italy and raised in Switzerland, died and left his five children a 'substantial estate' with assets across NSW, Portugal, Liechtenstein and Malta.
Despite the Supreme Court victory, Ms Vernon launched legal action in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in August in a bid to reverse the previous decision to cancel her relationship status with the dead actor.
In confirming that decision, senior VCAT member Reynah Tang questioned why she had even applied for the reversal, given the Supreme Court ruling in NSW.
He said the court had already found she was de facto spouse of Mr Legler at the time of his death - and the relationship was automatically revoked when one of them died anyway.
'However, [the counsel for Ms Vernon] submitted that she wished to proceed with the review,' said Mr Tang.
'[On the basis that] the cancellation of a domestic relationship following the death of one of the parties was different to the revocation of that relationship.'
A series of raunchy texts between Ms Vernon, 44, and Legler, 72, convinced the Supreme Court judge she had indeed been in a secret relationship.
However, the court loss has now left her in legal limbo - and could potentially allow Legler's children to appeal or assist with any legal challenges on foot in Europe.
The tribunal heard that when Ms Vernon registered her relationship with the actor, she listed her Melbourne address as 110 William Street - the address of the The Australian Club, an exclusive men-only haunt.
It is a private club founded in 1838 which only allows men to register for membership, though women can attend as guests.
The club has boasted many powerful and influential members including Kerry Packer and his son James, George Pell and John Howard, who celebrated his 80th birthday there.
The tribunal heard Ms Vernon was given permission by the club to use the address 'whenever it was required' as she jet-setted across the globe.
In reaching VCAT's conclusion, Mr Tang said Legler did not provide a statutory declaration to the Registrar as required under the Act to register the relationship with Ms Vernon.
Nor did Legler or Ms Vernon live in Victoria at the relevant time the relationship was registered 'by mistake'.
Ms Vernon (pictured) met Mr Legler as a visa consultant when he was arranging to visit his Australian-based children from a previous marriage
Daniele Legler (pictured) had 'considerable' wealth from family money and working as an actor for three decades. He had been teaching masterclasses around the globe prior to his death
The proceedings heard the pair had been in a de facto relationship living together at Mr Legler's beachside home in Portugal for six years before his death.
The eldest of Legler's five children, Nadja, 31, argued in court Ms Vernon was attempting to take their 'rightful inheritance'.
In a judgement handed down in NSW, Justice Pike ruled that while Ms Vernon did appear to be 'motivated by self-interest and financial gain', she also had a valid claim.
Ms Vernon markets herself as a visa consultant and court documents show emails sent from Legler to friends describing her as efficient and capable.
She moved to Australia in 2004, aged 24, with her former husband, a British citizen, and in 2012, completed a diploma to qualify her to work as a migration agent.
She has also authored a fitness book titled 'How to Love getting the Shape You Want: Why Feeling Good and Looking Great Opens More Doors' and has competed in bodybuilding competitions.
Legler appeared in more than 30 films and television productions in Europe and had been working as an acting coach in his later years, travelling the globe and conducting workshops.
His acting work along with family money from his father Fredy, who was president of the Legler Textile Group, known for its cotton and denim production, had seen Legler amass a considerable fortune.
Much of that wealth is held in property along with bank and cryptocurrency accounts in Europe and Australia.
His oldest daughter Nadja is one of three children from his first marriage, while his two youngest children from his second marriage were born during a brief period where he was living in Australia in northern NSW.
The NSW court heard Ms Vernon kept in contact with an on-again-off-again boyfriend based in Australia while in a relationship with Legler, and that she texted him after Legler died to say: 'By the way, the Swiss has died this Friday'.
The court also heard on the day after Legler died, she withdrew $35,000 from his Australian Westpac account followed by another $22,300 days later.
She also withdrew €63,000 ($102,076 AUD) from a European joint account shortly after his death.
