France's richest woman, the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, has been ruled unfit to manage her wealth by a judge after a medical report suggested she was suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's.
The 88-year-old heiress has been embroiled in a feud with her daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, for years over her competency to look after her estimated €16 billion fortune.
Monday's ruling was at the request of her daughter, but the feud began in 2007, when Bettencourt decided to give away around €1billion to socialite François-Marie Banier, prompting Bettencourt-Meyers claim that she was not fit to look after her money.
Bertrand Favreau, one of Bettencourt's lawyers, said that it was a "very disappointing decision". He added, "It will be hard for me to tell her this decision because it will be unbearable for her". Her daughter's lawyer, on the other hand, commented that it was an "immense relief" for the rest of the family.
Her wealth will now be under the guardianship of her eldest grandson, her lawyer said.
In an interview published in France's Journal du Dimanche before the decision, Bettencourt said feared the result.
"I'm trembling, all I can do is pray", she said on Sunday. "I'm not going to sleep well tonight. I have a feeling I'm going to be squashed."
Favreau plans to consult Bettencourt over an appeal against the guardianship.