NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

Bitter family feud over $616m Disney fortune

news.com.au
15 Jun, 2019 06:42 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Relatives claim Walt Disney would be devastated by his family's actions if he were still alive. Photo / Getty Images

Relatives claim Walt Disney would be devastated by his family's actions if he were still alive. Photo / Getty Images

It's almost impossible to hear the name "Disney" and not automatically think of wholesome, happy families.

Legendary Disney co-founders Walt and Roy Disney have captured the hearts and imaginations of generations, and brought joy to millions of people across the globe.

But sadly, that legacy has been tarnished over the years by a bitter family feud between Walt Disney's descendants which has reportedly all but torn at least one branch of the clan apart.

And it all began with a battle over the Disney millions.

Meet the Disneys

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Walt Disney married Lillian Bounds — a Disney company ink artist — in 1925.

They struggled to have children, but eight years later daughter Diane arrived and the family was complete following the adoption of second daughter Sharon in 1936.

The girls had a relatively normal childhood, although their father was said to be a workaholic.

Diane Disney married businessman and professional football player Ronald Miller in 1954, and the couple had seven children — Chris, Joanna, Tamara, Jennifer, Walt, Ron Jr., and Patrick.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Those children were also given a typical childhood, despite the family's wealth.

Meanwhile, Sharon Disney adopted daughter Victoria with her first husband Robert Brown and eventually gave birth to biological twins, Brad and Michelle, with second husband Bill Lund.

It wasn't all happy families for Walt Disney and his descendants. Photo / Getty Images
It wasn't all happy families for Walt Disney and his descendants. Photo / Getty Images

But while Sharon Disney — who died in 1993 — also tried to raise her kids in a down-to-earth fashion, all three would go on to make headlines regarding their penchant for luxury — and high-profile spats over their inheritance.

The feud begins

According to a lengthy investigation by The Hollywood Reporter, Sharon Disney set up trusts for her three children, worth around $US400 million ($616m) in total.

Discover more

New Zealand

'I would've given up my life for her': Kiwi fighting ex-lover for $39m

12 Jun 07:15 PM
New Zealand

Breakthrough cancer research gets $5m boost

12 Jun 11:54 PM
New Zealand

Divorce 1919 style: All on show in court

16 Jun 03:00 AM
New Zealand|crime

Prominent businessman loses suppression argument with Herald

14 Jun 05:53 AM

Each adult child was supposed to receive lump-sum payouts every five years, when they turned 35, 40 and 45.

At these ages, they were due to receive 20 per cent of their total trust.

But there was a catch — the payments would first have to be approved by three trustees.

In a statement sent by the trustees to NBC News, the trustees said that clause allowed them to withhold payments if the siblings lacked the "maturity and financial ability to manage and utilise such funds in a prudent and responsible manner."

But according to The Hollywood Reporter, it was a "catastrophic" caveat that would destroy the family.

The publication claimed troubled Victoria Brown lived a "dishevelled existence", was addicted to heroin, and would famously charter planes and "splurge on $5000-a-night suites".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She also once reportedly trashed a room in a Disney cruise ship — but despite everything, she still received $US20m after her 35th birthday.

However, she died a year later in 2002, and her share of the fortune was automatically added to her twin siblings' trusts.

As children, both Brad and Michelle attended a school for youngsters with learning difficulties — Michelle has dyslexia, while Bill Lund has previously claimed his son has Down syndrome and foetal alcohol syndrome, although it has never been proven.

When the twins turned 35 in 2005, the trustees drove a wedge between them by giving Michelle her share but holding back Brad's.

Rift deepens

In 2009, Michelle had a brain aneurysm that left her in a coma. She faced a lengthy recovery, and struggled with a reduced attention span for months afterwards.

During this time, her father and his new wife Sherry tried to transfer her to a clinic 10 minutes away from their home.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The trustees refused, and seemed to suspect Sherry of attempting to wrangle control of her stepchildren and their money.

Meanwhile, Brad, Bill and Sherry Lund apparently believed Michelle was being manipulated by the trustees, with her father telling The Hollywood Reporter she had likely fought against her family due to "Stockholm syndrome".

Disneyworld may be called the "happiest place on earth" but the founder's family are locked in a bitter fued. Photo / Getty Images
Disneyworld may be called the "happiest place on earth" but the founder's family are locked in a bitter fued. Photo / Getty Images

A slew of lawsuits followed, but in 2010 Michelle received her next instalment as planned despite lingering questions over her mental capacity, while her brother missed out again.

Exactly what happened five years later when the twins turned 45 is unclear, and it is also not known what, if any, legal cases are still underway.

It has been reported that the siblings — now aged 49 — never repaired their relationship.

But as Bill Lund told the UK Telegraph in 2013, when it comes to the whole sorry saga, at least one thing is clear.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

If Walt Disney were alive today, he would be "absolutely appalled" by what has become of his "broken" family.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Business|companies

Entrepreneur Bowen Pan on why he returned to NZ

Premium
Business|companies

From Silicon Valley to NZ: Kiwi inventor of Facebook Marketplace is back home to give back

05 Jul 12:00 AM
Premium
Opinion

Bruce Cotterill: Is our bloated bureaucracy hindering economic growth?

04 Jul 11:00 PM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Entrepreneur Bowen Pan on why he returned to NZ

Entrepreneur Bowen Pan on why he returned to NZ

The Kiwi founder of Facebook Marketplace and new NZME director on returning home and new projects. Video / Cameron Pitney

Premium
From Silicon Valley to NZ: Kiwi inventor of Facebook Marketplace is back home to give back

From Silicon Valley to NZ: Kiwi inventor of Facebook Marketplace is back home to give back

05 Jul 12:00 AM
Premium
Bruce Cotterill: Is our bloated bureaucracy hindering economic growth?

Bruce Cotterill: Is our bloated bureaucracy hindering economic growth?

04 Jul 11:00 PM
Premium
Fran O’Sullivan: ESG is being redefined as Europe ramps up defence investment

Fran O’Sullivan: ESG is being redefined as Europe ramps up defence investment

04 Jul 09:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP