Imagine a family torn apart by a billion-dollar legacy, where siblings battle in court over their late father’s real estate empire. This isn’t just a story of money—it’s a tale of betrayal, dementia, and a father’s final wishes. But here’s where it gets controversial: Did two estranged children exploit their father’s declining mental state to secure a lion’s share of the fortune, or were they simply fulfilling his true intentions? And this is the part most people miss: The legal drama doesn’t just involve one will—it’s a tangled web of lawsuits, schemes, and a second attempt to cut out the eldest son entirely.
In the summer of 2019, Harlan Douglass, the Spokane real estate titan who built a billion-dollar empire with his late wife, Maxine, walked into his office—a place he’d known for decades—and froze. He was lost. His longtime employee, Deanna Malcom, recalls guiding him by hand to his desk, where they both wept. ‘It was devastating to watch someone I admired decline like that,’ she said. Harlan had been diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s, a detail that would later become central to a bitter legal battle.
Months earlier, two of Harlan’s adult children, Lanzce and Stacey, had re-entered his life after a decade-long estrangement. But their return coincided with Harlan cutting ties with his eldest son, Harley, who had worked alongside his parents for years, helping build their empire of hundreds of properties generating millions monthly in rent and leases.
These shifting family dynamics now fuel a high-stakes trial in Spokane County Superior Court, offering a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of the city’s most powerful families. At stake? Hundreds of millions of dollars—and the question of whether Harlan’s final wishes were manipulated by his own children.
The trial hinges on Harlan’s 2019 will, which dramatically altered the distribution of his estate. In April 2019, Lanzce and Stacey accompanied Harlan to a lawyer’s office, where he signed documents gifting them promissory notes totaling $155 million—$45.9 million each, plus $13.9 million to each of their five children. But that wasn’t all: Harlan also granted them power of attorney. A month later, he signed a new will, giving Lanzce 65% (over $400 million) and Stacey 35% (over $200 million), leaving Harley with just $1,000.
Harley’s lawsuit argues that Lanzce and Stacey exploited their father’s cognitive decline to manipulate him. ‘They turned him against the one child he truly trusted,’ Harley’s attorney, Steven Hassing, wrote in court filings. But Lanzce and Stacey’s lawyers counter that Harley lacks evidence of undue influence, claiming the new will reflects Harlan’s fluctuating relationships with his children—and Harley’s substantial lifetime gifts.
Here’s the twist: This isn’t the first time Lanzce tried to rewrite the family’s inheritance. In 2019, he orchestrated a deed that transferred much of Maxine’s estate to himself and Stacey, disinheriting Harley. A judge later ruled the scheme ‘clear, convincing, and inescapable,’ awarding Harley $600,000 in attorney fees. Yet, Lanzce insists he was grateful for his 10% share, claiming he was raised to earn his own way.
Harlan’s rise to wealth is a self-made story. Born in Electric City, Washington, he followed his father into construction, eventually building his first house and out-earning his dad in a single deal. He met Maxine on a blind date, and together they built an empire, despite humble beginnings. But their later years were marked by tragedy: Maxine died of Alzheimer’s on their 57th wedding anniversary, and Harlan’s own decline soon followed.
Lanzce describes his father as a ‘bare-knuckle brawler’ in business, a man who took slights personally and sought to ‘crush’ competitors—even his own son. Their relationship fractured in 2008, with Lanzce fleeing to other cities to avoid his father’s shadow. Stacey, too, was fired by Harlan in 2008 and told to ‘babysit’ her ailing mother. Yet, both siblings claim they acted in their father’s best interest when he was most vulnerable.
But is that the whole truth? Harley’s wife, Lisa, testified that Harlan once wanted Harley to take over the company—until he abruptly cut ties. ‘He accused me of being up to something,’ she recalled. Days later, communication ceased entirely.
As the trial continues, one question lingers: Was Harlan’s final will a genuine reflection of his wishes, or the result of manipulation? And what does this say about family loyalty when billions are at stake? Do you think Lanzce and Stacey crossed a line, or were they simply securing their rightful share? Share your thoughts in the comments—this is one debate that’s far from over.
