Community activist Jocelyn Wildenstein was facing arrest in Miami after she ignored court orders for unpaid debts before her death.
The 84-year-old, nicknamed Catwoman after extensive plastic surgery, died in Paris on Tuesday after suffering a pulmonary embolism.
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Her long-time partner and fiancé, Lloyd Klein, found her “unresponsive.”
DailyMail.com has now reported that the eccentric billionaire was about to be taken into custody after failing to appear in court.
She was scheduled to attend a hearing on October 23 in Miami regarding an unpaid debt of $334,000.
Judge Megna Sanchez Llorens issued a physical confinement order and sent officers to detain Wildenstein until she could go to court.
The socialite was staying in Paris and it was not known if she would return to the United States, as she was facing eviction from her home in Miami Beach.
Court records claimed she owed $268,000 to Regal Jewelry and Gift Shop plus $75,928 in interest.
The case goes back to her 2018 bankruptcy case, in which Wildenstein again left fees unpaid.
The company decided to take further legal action in Miami, and when it failed to comply with court orders, it was asked if it could be held in contempt of court.
“The defendant may be detained in the Miami-Dade County Jail until the earliest possible appearance in court,” Judge Sanchez Lawrence wrote on Nov. 4.
“However, the defendant may be released upon posting a bond in the amount of $1,000.00.”
A follow-up meeting has been set for January 14, DailyMail.com reported.
If officers had taken Wildenstein into custody, this would have been the second time she had been placed in handcuffs.
She previously faced the law after attacking her fiancé, Klein.
The couple, who met in 2003 and announced their engagement in 2017, reconciled and resolved their issues, leading to the case being dropped.
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Wildenstein received a $2.5 billion divorce settlement from her first marriage to Alec Wildenstein in 1999.
She was known for making millions, but her latest bankruptcy filing showed she was actually living on $900 a month in benefits.
The mother of two saw her $6.8 million apartment in Trump World Tower sold to help pay off her debts.
Her latest financial troubles were revealed when she was evicted from her Miami Beach property, rented by her partner Klein, after having $12,000 in unpaid rent.
But Klein claimed there were “significant” issues with the two-bedroom apartment and the couple should not be “obligated” to pay.
However, the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to support this and issued an eviction notice.
Wildenstein apparently went to Paris after further problems with another property in Miami Beach, which resulted in her failing to make payments again.
The latest photos of the social star appear to have been taken in Paris a couple of weeks ago, where Cline enjoyed a night out together.
The couple stepped out together at the Ritz for a glamorous meal.
Klein can be seen carrying a small white Guerlain shopping bag.
Wildenstein became famous for having had extensive plastic surgery on her face, and is believed to have spent millions on a facelift, which gave her high cheekbones and “cat eyes” that gave her a feline resemblance.
However, she has previously denied having any plastic surgery, or being addicted to surgery, but has vowed that she will never stop undergoing surgery.
In 2023, she posted a photo of herself as a teenager as “proof” that she had always had good features, and accused people of photoshopping them to make her look worse.
Wildenstein and Klein have been together since 2003, four years after her messy divorce from Alec Wildenstein, the French billionaire businessman and art dealer whom she married in their 1978 Las Vegas elopement.
The couple were together for 21 years before their marriage ended abruptly when she caught him sleeping with a model at their New York home.
He then threatened her with a gun during the altercation and spent a night in jail as a result.
In the aftermath, Wildenstein set a record for divorce settlements in the United States, becoming one of the richest women in America.
She reportedly received a £2billion divorce payment and £80million a year for upkeep – at one point she owned three apartments in Trump Tower.
Wildenstein previously claimed to Vanity Fair that her high cheekbones and cat-like features were actually due to genetics from her Swiss grandmother, though she admitted to having plastic surgery to look younger to her then-husband.
But in the same 1998 Vanity Fair interview, ex-husband Alec claimed she was “rearranging her face like a piece of furniture.”
She met Klein in 2003 at New York Fashion Week, and they became engaged in 2017.
The fashion designer came forward with a 32-carat ring that he said was worth “millions” and requires a security detail when she's not wearing it.
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