Talk about high-flying fortunes: the story of Larry Lee Hillblom, the enigmatic founder of DHL Corp. courier service, has left an indelible mark that transcends the glory of his undeniable business triumphs.. for all the wrong reasons.
The dark and mysterious circumstances surrounding Hillblom’s life, death, and the legal battles that ensued continue to reverberate today, with a 1998 Saipan court decision shedding an especially bright light on a scandalous chapter in the tycoon’s life after death.
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The Big Reveal
When Hillblom passed, headlines were quickly plastered across media outlets around the world, mourning the vintage World War II seaplane’s unexpected 1995 crash. And yet, it wasn’t actually the crash itself that captivated a global audience…
Rather, it was the revelation that Hillblom — himself a lifelong bachelor — had allegedly left behind a long but unclear trail of illegitimate children, all born to underage mothers that he had met during his less-than-upstanding travels around Asia.
The Saipan settlement — reached quietly in a Seattle laboratory — confirmed the genetic ties between Hillblom and his four children — Junior Larry Hillbroom, Jellian Cuartero, Mercedez Feliciano, and Nguyen Be Lory. Ranging in age from 2 to 14 years old, these heirs — born to mothers from Palau in the Philippines as well as across Vietnam — suddenly stood to inherit a massive portion of Hillblom’s estate, valued between US$400 million and US$600 million (A$590 and A$885 million, respectively).
The Ongoing Fallout
Alas, the revelation alone was not enough to bring the fallout to an end. The estate’s remaining value — estimated at an additional US$200 million — quickly became an all too predictable battleground for legal clashes.
Citing Hillblom’s extensive will and testament, the state of California requested that a considerable chunk be allocated to medical research, particularly at the University of California medical centres. Simultaneously, Saipan courts vied for a share to benefit medical research in the South Pacific island that Hillblom had made his home.
The scandal rightly and unsurprisingly tarnished Hillblom’s memory beyond repair, overshadowing an undeniable entrepreneurial brilliance and otherwise charitable legacy. Friends have since spoken to the press of his frugal lifestyle in Saipan, where he wore frayed jeans and drove battered cars despite his bottomless wealth.
Hillblom’s legal battles, in business and personal affairs alike, left behind a dark, tumultuous landscape that seemingly mirrored his personality in life.
Hillblom’s Children
The unfortunate and unwilling children, who never knew the man who was to become their father, add an emotional level to this story that all too often gets overlooked in favour of a focus on Hillblom himself.
Born under circumstances mired in controversy, their stories could only be priced together from affidavits that detail sultry encounters with Hillblom in bars scattered across Asia. The drawn-out legal battles exposed a darker side of the tycoon, who allegedly sought out virgins as young as 14 years old on his business trips.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hillblom’s children have since gone on to spark controversies of their own, the tale of their father’s mid-air demise making for a less-than-ideal springboard into life, no matter how much cash may have come with it.