A man is suing his late father's estate in a Kentucky court because of his smoking habit. The man's family says the lawsuit is because he's sour that his dad cut him out of his will.
Michael Bobzien, 63, claims his dad Hugo J. “Joe” Bobzien Jr. destroyed his health because Hugo chain smoked throughout his childhood, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
Michael grew up in Louisville and said that he started having breathing problems as a kid because of the constant exposure to his dad's secondhand smoke. The suit also claims that a doctor told Hugo to lay off the cigarettes and cigars in the 1960s for the sake of his son.
There have been hundreds of lawsuits about the damaging effects of secondhand smoke, but Michael is the first to sue a parent for their smoking habit.
While the suit could be groundbreaking, Michael's sister Theresa Hart wrote in a deposition that she thinks the lawsuit is Michael's attempt to get to their father's fortune.
Hugo made his fortune as the CEO of American Commercial Barge Line, the nation's largest barge operator. He died in 2016, but Hugo's estate is estimated to be worth around $15 million.
It was only after Hugo's death that Michael learned that he was cut out of the will, likely due to a family squabble. Michael filed the smoking lawsuit only after his dad's death.
Hart said her brother agreed to settle the case if he was given his part of the inheritance.