An Ohio inheritance left to teenage waitress Cara Wood triggered a legal dispute after customer Bill Cruxton died in 1992, leaving her most of his estate, valued at around $500,000. By 1997, Wood said she had invested the inheritance and was using returns to help pay for college.

Key Takeaways

  • Wood was 17 when she met Cruxton, a regular customer at the restaurant where she worked.
  • A 1993 settlement gave Wood most of the estate, while about $35,000 was shared among other parties.
  • Wood said in 1997 that she still had the original principal and more after investing in the stock market.

How the Ohio inheritance came about

Wood met Cruxton while working part-time at Dink's Colonial Restaurant in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Cruxton, an 82-year-old widower with no children, visited regularly for meals and company. Wood also helped him with errands and household tasks.

Cruxton later changed his will to make Wood his principal beneficiary. He died of heart failure in November 1992.

A settlement and legal fees

Cruxton's sister and women named in earlier versions of his will were among those who challenged it. A settlement was reached in September 1993.

Wood received Cruxton's house, cars, jewellery and most of his money. Approximately $35,000 was shared among the other parties, and Wood paid more than $100,000 in legal fees.

How Wood used the money

By December 1997, Wood was studying marketing and finance at Ohio University. She said stock market returns were helping cover her college expenses and that she still had the original principal and more.

Her mother, Glenna Snider, had urged her to preserve the inheritance and spend what it earned. Wood had also obtained broker and insurance agent licences and was gaining experience at a financial services company.

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