2 Daughters Of Paul Newman Sue Newman's Own Foundation

WESTPORT, CT — Elinor "Nell" Newman and Susan Newman, two daughters of the late actor, philanthropist and Westport resident Paul Newman, have sued Newman's Own Foundation claiming they have been frozen out of its charitable giving, according to court documents. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report about the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Stamford Superior Court, the two daughters claim that Newman's legacy to dedication to philanthropy and to his family are "under assault, ironically, by Newman’s Own Foundation, the very organization he founded in an effort to preserve and expand that legacy."

Newman's three other living daughters are not mentioned as part of the lawsuit. His only son died in 1978.

"The heart of Mr. Newman’s estate planning was to keep his children involved in philanthropy, specifically by requiring Newman’s Own Foundation to allocate a certain amount of its millions of dollars of annual donations to charities identified by his daughters," the lawsuit reads. "But mere days after his death, those Mr. Newman had entrusted with the stewardship of his legacy turned on him, made thinly-veiled threats of disinheritance to his daughters, and leveraged their control over his estate to set the stage for disenfranchisement of his family."

Newman's Own Foundation, the lawsuit claims, was supposed to allocate $400,000 each year to each of the "daughters' foundations" to allow them to donate to charities of their choosing. Those amounts were cut in half by the foundation in 2020 to $200,000 to each of the daughters' organizations, according to the lawsuit.

The foundation was created in 2005, three years before Paul Newman's death in 2008. It is separate than the Newman's Own food company, which has reportedly donated more than $600 million to charities since its establishment in 1982, according to The Wall Street Journal.

"The 'Daughters' Foundation' program was a check on Newman's Own Foundation's ability to stray too far from Mr. Newman's priorities for philanthropy," the lawsuit reads. "At least a portion of donations was required to be directed each year by his daughters, in whom he had diligently instilled his frugal and benevolent charitable sensibilities. Over the years, however, Newman's Own Foundation lost its way and strayed from its mission to preserve and honor Paul Newman's legacy. The years since Mr. Newman's death consist of a long and consistent pattern of disregard, by those in control, of Mr. Newman's specific intentions and direction, coupled with mismanagement, scandal, and questionable practices."

Nell and Susan Newman are seeking $1.6 million in damages, in addition to a judgement requiring the foundation to adhere to their father's wishes as they laid out.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, a spokesperson for the foundation called the lawsuit "meritless," and said that such "perpetual funding allotments" would be against the best practices of philanthropic organizations.

The full statement from the foundation was emailed to Patch early Wednesday, and it can be read here.

Read The Wall Street Journal story; read the lawsuit.