Posted on August 10, 2006

Ruth Lilly's Niece and Nephew Become Her Guardians

A Marion County probate judge has appointed two of Indianapolis heiress Ruth Lilly's relatives to be her guardians, following testimony that she is incapacitated and incapable of making decisions for herself, the Indianapolis Star reports.

The sole surviving great-grandchild of pharmaceutical company founder Eli Lilly has long has been in ill health and, according to courtroom testimony, is in physical and mental decline. In granting the request from six Lilly nieces and nephews, Judge Charles Deiter gave decision-making authority over the disbursement of millions of dollars to charity to Lilly's guardians, nephew Eli "Ted" Lilly II of Carmel, California, and niece Ruth Virginia Lilly Nicholas of Boston. According to the petition filed by Lilly's relatives in June, roughly $4.6 million in authorized charitable expenditures from the Lilly estate, which is estimated to exceed $1 billion, had not been paid because of Lilly's "inability or unwillingness" to participate in selecting the recipients. The responsibility for awarding charitable gifts will now fall to the Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation, which is overseen by her nieces and nephews.

Thomas P. Ewbank, Lilly's longtime personal attorney, said in a court document that he had consulted with the heiress, 91, about her family's petition, and that "while she does not agree with all of the allegations, due to her age and health" she will consent to the guardianship.