Anne Heche's Estate Sued for $2M by Tenant of Home Destroyed in Crash

Lynne Mishele is suing the late actress' estate for negligence, infliction of emotional distress and trespassing.

Anne Heche's estate is facing another legal battle. Amid court proceedings between the late actress' eldest son, Homer Laffoon, and her ex, James Tupper, over control of her estate, Lynne Mishele, who was living in the home that was destroyed in Heche's fiery car crash, has filed a lawsuit. ET has reached out to Heche's estate for comment.

In court docs obtained by ET, Mishele says she's suing Heche's estate for negligence, infliction of emotional distress and trespassing after the August crash "personally ravaged" her life. Mishele is seeking at least $2 million from her suit.

"It was as though a record-breaking earthquake had hit, and [Mishele] was right in the middle and on the fault line," the docs read of the moments after Heche's crash, during which time Mishele was working from home. "Thick smoke, heavy fumes and enveloping flames instantly followed."

The docs note that "a blood analysis performed after the incident confirmed the presence of both cocaine and narcotics, including fentanyl, in Heche's system," before the actress was declared legally dead days later.

Chris Delmas / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images

The experience, the docs claim, left Mishele "completely traumatized, unusually startled by hearing loud noises, plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of the incident, terrified of walking outside, and, atop that, without a place to live."

The docs additionally claim that Mishele "has been injured economically, psychologically, physically and emotionally, and has suffered and will continue to suffer substantial damage well into the future" as a result of the crash.

"As a result of the deadly incident caused by Heche, the home and all of [Mishele]'s personal property were completely burned and destroyed," the docs read, "including an entire lifetime of possessions, pictures and mementos, all her business papers and equipment, her laptop and iPad, all of her clothing, basic necessities, and household items."

Through her suit, Mishele, who is requesting a jury trial, is seeking $2 million for compensatory damages, recovery of her costs, prejudgment interest, punitive damages and all other relief the court deems just and proper.

Following the crash, a GoFundMe set up by Mishele's neighbors raised more than $180,000 for her. Mishele later thanked all those who had contributed for their "overwhelming amount of love and compassion and generosity and kindness."

In a statement posted to Instagram following Heche's death, Mishele said, "The news of Anne Heche passing is devastating. Her family and her friends and her children, especially, really have suffered a great loss, and my heart goes out for them. This entire situation is tragic. There really are just no words. I'm sending love to everyone involved."

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