Tony Hsieh, Late Las Vegas Benefactor, May Have Left a Will

• A will apparently signed by late Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has been found
• If determined to be both legitimate and enforceable, it could halt the current probate case distributing Hsieh’s reported $840M in assets

Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of shoe giant Zappos and one of the largest benefactors in the history of downtown Las Vegas, was worth a reported $840 million when he died almost five years ago. It was thought that he left no will … until a court filing made Thursday night claimed otherwise.

The filing, submitted to Clark County District Court by attorneys with the law firms McDonald Carano and Greenberg Traurig, includes a will dated March 13, 2015. Apparently signed by Hsieh and several witnesses, it calls for most of Hsieh’s assets — including millions of dollars in property he purchased in the Fremont Street East District — to be transferred to a trust, according to KLAS-TV/Las Vegas, which broke the story.

The will also orders money to be donated to organizations, including Harvard University and the American Red Cross.

The will was found in late February in the personal belongings of one Pir Muhammad, who was named its co-executor. Prior to dying that month, Muhammad was not aware of Hsieh’s 2020 death due to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, according to a letter in the filing.

Hsieh died at age 46 from injuries suffered in a Connecticut house fire on Nov. 27, 2020. He had recently stepped down from Zappos after years of erratic behavior reported by his close associates.

Because Hsieh he thought not to have left a will, the distribution of his estate (managed by Hsieh’s father) has so far been decided by a long and drawn out probate case in Clark County District Court.

Will It Hold Up?

Whether a court will declare the will enforceable is anyone’s guess. Attorneys for Hsieh’s estate have repeatedly argued in court documents that Hsieh, who was reportedly addicted to inhaling nitrous oxide canisters for years before his death, was mentally incapable of entering into the contracts he signed for years preceding his death.