The sad and utterly unfair decline of the great Dennis Hopper has been made worse by intense legal action, and most people blame Victoria Duffy, his now estranged wife.
In newly-filed papers, Dennis, 73, tells L.A’s Superior Court he’s still perfectly capable of making decisions, while his Doctors say one way to prolong his life is to get Victoria out of it – Now.
“The presence of his estranged wife is hampering Mr. Hopper’s care,” Dennis’ chief specialist, Dr. David Agus says in the papers. “It is my belief that the less Mr. Hopper has to do with his wife, the more likely he is to have that life extended.”
His lawyer, Joe Mannis also explains to the court that, even while Dennis is enduring treatment for advanced prostate cancer, Victoria has “repeatedly subjected him to severe emotional distress.”
One example of this came last December when Victoria took their 6-year old daughter, Galen, out of school and flew her to Boston – where they hid for six days.
“This malevolent act has caused me to miss what may be my last Christmas with my daughter,” Dennis says in the filing.
The documents also reveal that both his wife and her mother woke Dennis up one night around Christmas, then grilled him about how much money and property Vicky would get when he died.
“Victoria’s mother told me I should simply leave the bulk of my property to Victoria, as I was going to die soon,” Dennis says in the filing. “I found this statement distressing, bizarre and disturbing.”
Dennis filed for divorce last month, and under their prenup Vicky loses her 25% cut of his estate when that becomes final. But don’t waste any tears – she’s already picked her next host.
The 42-year old socialite is now close to Democratic strategist James Boyce, who writes for the Huffington Post, and is also a CNN analyst on DC events. The pair have worked on Democratic causes together, and even attended President Obama’s inauguration — Using tickets that were meant for her husband.
When Page Six checked with Mr. Boyce he denied the connection, but insiders seem sure of their facts.
