Heath Ledger's uncles are speaking out against his father Kim's handling of the actor's assets, saying Kim has a bad track record of estate management. Heath's father so mishandled the management of their grandfather's estate 15 years ago in Australia that Kim was removed as executor, the uncles claim. "It plunged into enormous debt," Mike Ledger, one of Kim's brothers, tells
PEOPLE.
Heath died in January at age 28 of an accidental mixture of prescription drugs – leaving behind a daughter, Matilda, by his ex, actress Michelle Williams. His will, written before his relationship with Michelle, leaves everything to his parents and sisters. Heath's uncle Mike insists the family has nothing to gain by removing Kim: "Our only vested interest is to assure that Matilda is well looked after."
Mike added that Kim's recent statement that Matilda "will be taken care of" was not enough assurance. "When you are talking about large sums of money like this," he says, "it should be an independent executor, but Kim hasn't chosen that way." Another of Kim's brothers, Hayden, tells
PEOPLE that Michelle's father, Larry, asked him if Kim was capable of managing the actor's estate. "I just said, 'No, not if he handles it like ours,' " he says.
The bitter dispute among the brothers dates back more than 15 years, when Kim became an executor of their grandfather Sir Frank Ledger's estate, which they estimate was worth about $2 million in the mid 1980s. The family patriarch was a respected engineer in Perth.
According to the newspaper
The Australian, Frank's daughters filed a motion in Supreme Court asking to have Kim removed as the executor. The submission to the court stated that Kim's handling of his grandfather's estate "placed the assets at risk." A report in Australia's
The Sunday Times says that a Supreme Court judge eventually removed Kim from overseeing the estate.
Robert John Collins – an Australian executor of Heath's will who has known the Ledger family for 30 years – said last week that Mike and Hayden's allegations about Kim were "rubbish." Kim and his brothers have remained estranged since the dispute. In fact, Mike says that 17 family members weren't even invited to attend Heath's memorial and funeral in Perth. "I'm his godfather," Mike says. "We didn't even have the ability or the opportunity to pay our last respects to Heath. And I tell you, that is terrible – that is so sad."
Source: www.People.com
One month into his game Batman is still ruling the box-office. The Dark Knight remained No. 1 at the cineplex for the fourth straight weekend, grossing $26 million and bringing its total take to $441.5 million – and making it the third top-grossing film of all time, surpassing the previous third-ranked Shrek 2, reports Variety. Sometime this week, the movie, starring Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger, is expected to overtake the No. 2 record box-office holder, Star Wars. (Still ranked No. 1 is Titanic, with $601 million.) 
Raking in $155.34 million in its first weekend, The Dark Knight has delivered the best weekend box office opening ever. The record was previously set by 2007's Spider-Man 3, with $151.1 million. The Dark Knight - starring the late Heath Ledger as the Joker - earned an estimated $66.4 million on its opening day. It took in $18.5 million in Friday midnight shows alone. The last Batman installment, 2006's Batman Begins, grossed $15 million on its opening day and $48.7 million for the weekend.
Heath Ledger's family and co-stars paid tribute to the late actor at Monday night's Dark Knight premiere in New York City. His father Kim and his wife Ines (Heath's stepmother) flew in from Australia for the event. As he left the screening, Kim gave reporters a thumbs-up. Along with Heath's older sister Kate, Heath's mother Sally Bell and her husband also attended. 
Michelle Williams is denying a report she's missing the premiere of The Dark Knight because of tension with Heath Ledger's family. "The presumption that Michelle ever intended to attend The Dark Knight premiere is unfounded, but to say she is 'boycotting' due to a rift with Heath's family is absurd," Michelle's rep Mara Buxbaum said in a statement. She added: "It is time to allow this family to go about their lives without this continued scrutiny and speculation." 
Heath Ledger's father, Kim, mother, Emma, and other family members are flying in for the Dark Knight premiere on July 14 for what some are calling a "sort of tribute" to him - but don't expect to see his ex, Michelle Williams, or daughter, Matilda. 
Heath Ledger's uncles are speaking out against his father Kim's handling of the actor's assets, saying Kim has a bad track record of estate management. Heath's father so mishandled the management of their grandfather's estate 15 years ago in Australia that Kim was removed as executor, the uncles claim. "It plunged into enormous debt," Mike Ledger, one of Kim's brothers, tells PEOPLE. 
Heath Ledger's family moved quickly to speak out Saturday after details of the late actor's will were released – showing he had not updated it since his relationship with Michelle Williams and the 2005 birth of their daughter Matilda Rose. "Matilda is our absolute priority and Michelle is an integral part of our family," Heath's father Kim Ledger says in a statement. "They will be taken care of and that's how Heath would want it to be."
