On Thursday, British architecture publication BD Online released details from a 20-page legal document it obtained relating to Patrik Schumacher’s ongoing legal battle for sole executoriship of Zaha Hadid’s estate.
Among various claims made the in the documents, Schumacher states that he was forced to agree to the removal of Hadid’s name from her eponymous practice so that it could be used exclusively by the foundation; that he was not allowed to speak at her September 2016 memorial service; that he was forced to move $9.87 million from the practice into a holding company controlled by the other executors and appointees; and that he was told that he did not comply with his co-executors demands, he would be fired from Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) where he currently serves as principal.
Schumacher originally filed suit against his three co-executors—Rana Hadid (Hadid’s niece), artist Brian Clarke, and developer Peter Palumbo—in November and no court date has been set.
Read more about the legal documents here.
Update Jan. 7: ZHA sent the following statement in response to this ongoing situation.
“We hope this matter can be settled quickly and amicably, to the satisfaction of all parties. After another successful year, the practice goes from strength to strength and our business is unaffected by the subject matter of the dispute. We remain focused on serving our clients and building on the achievements of Dame Zaha.”
