Tony Hsieh Will Forensic Report Publicly Refiled

A 343-page forensic report on the alleged will of late Zappos founder Tony Hsieh has been publicly refiled in Clark County District Court, after being temporarily sealed due to unredacted personal information [2]. The report by court-appointed examiner Gerald LaPorte details scientific analysis of the document, which Hsieh's family maintains is fake, in a case involving an estimated $513 million estate [1, 2].

Report Details and Findings

The refiled report by Gerald LaPorte, a forensic chemist and document dating specialist, includes an in-depth write-up on the physical characteristics of the purported will, analyzing ink, paper, printer toner, font, creases, and staple holes [2, 3]. LaPorte's examinations and chemical testing did not provide sufficient evidence to conclude whether the will was drawn up on its listed date of March 13, 2015, or at a much later time [2]. The original 410-page report was filed on the evening of July 20 and widely distributed before being sealed the next day at a hearing where a lawyer for Hsieh's father noted the presence of Hsieh's Social Security number [2]. District Judge Jacob Reynolds ordered the sealing, citing an oral motion to redact personal information, and the report was refiled on August 4 with numerous new redactions, including addresses and other personal details [2].

Hsieh, who died in November 2020 at age 46 from injuries sustained in a Connecticut house fire, sold Zappos to Amazon in a $1 billion-plus deal in 2009 [1, 2]. His father, Richard Hsieh, has been managing his son’s estate and has consistently stated that Hsieh died without a will [1, 2]. The alleged seven-page will surfaced in spring 2025 when two law firms, McDonald Carano and Greenberg Traurig, filed a copy in court, representing named executors in the document [2]. Issues previously raised about the will include mismatched signatures, multiple misspellings of Hsieh's name, discrepancies with his calendar, and the creation of listed email addresses after the will's purported signing date [1].

Ongoing Legal Proceedings

The case is proceeding through both Clark County District Court and the Nevada Supreme Court [1]. Hsieh's attorneys have objected to several recommendations for further testing, including fingerprint and DNA analysis, which they deemed "premature," and handwriting analysis, though they agreed to proceed with forensic ink testing and handwriting analysis to avoid delays [1]. The special master, LaPorte, has stated that examinations for handwriting analysis and forensic testing will be conducted on-site at the courthouse on a single day, with a testing date set for June 1 [1].

Hsieh's attorneys have also questioned the appointment of co-special administrators named in the alleged will, arguing there is no legal precedent for them to use estate resources to defend the contested document [1]. They filed a writ of mandamus with the Nevada Supreme Court in January, to which the co-special administrators have requested extensions to file a response, with the latest request seeking an extension until June 4 [1]. A motion to stay District Court proceedings until the Nevada Supreme Court rules on the petition for writ of mandamus is scheduled for a hearing on May 28 [1].

What to watch

• June 1: Scheduled date for on-site forensic testing and handwriting analysis of the alleged will at the courthouse [1].
• May 28: District Court hearing on the motion to stay proceedings pending a Nevada Supreme Court ruling [1].
• June 4: Latest requested deadline for co-special administrators to file a response to the writ of mandamus with the Nevada Supreme Court [1].

The public refiling of the forensic report provides further detail on the physical characteristics of the contested will, though it does not definitively resolve the question of its authenticity or timing, leaving the estate's future subject to ongoing legal challenges and further forensic examination.