Liliane

PARIS — Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers seized control of the L'Oréal SA fortune Monday after her mother, Liliane Bettencourt , heiress to the cosmetics giant, was placed under guardianship, a victory for the daughter in an acrimonious family tug-of-war over an inheritance valued at €15 billion $20.82 billion.

Heiress Loses L'Oréal Family Fight Christina Passariello 2011

PARIS—The only child of L'Oréal SA heiress Liliane Bettencourt filed a motion challenging the influence of her mother's entourage, according to a court official, six months after mother and daughter agreed to drop litigation between them.

New Motion Filed in L'Oréal Dispute David Gauthier-Villars 2011

The recent Bettencourt Affair, which linked the French Minister of Finance to Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress of the L'Oreal cosmetics empire one of France's largest employers and taxpayers, in a tax evasion scandal significantly harmed the Sarkozy government.

Hilary Kramer: While France Fiddles, Corporate Telecom Dollars Burn Hilary Kramer 2011

L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt was put under guardianship, blocked from managing her fortune.

What's News: Business & Finance 2011

Associated Press L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, left, and her estranged daughter, Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers, in March.

Heiress Loses L'Oréal Family Fight Christina Passariello 2011

The recent Bettencourt Affair, which linked the French Minister of Finance to Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress of the L'Oreal cosmetics empire one of France's largest employers and taxpayers, in a tax evasion scandal significantly harmed the Sarkozy government.

Hilary Kramer: While France Fiddles, Corporate Telecom Dollars Burn Hilary Kramer 2011

Earlier Wednesday, French daily newspaper Libération published excerpts of a book in which a top magistrate says that a former employee of Liliane Bettencourt , heiress to the L'Oréal SA cosmetics empire, told her clerk how she saw the billionaire giving cash to Mr. Sarkozy before his election.

Sarkozy Denies Donation Claims Gabriele Parussini 2011

The uber-rich, including Warren Buffett and Liliane Bettencourt, are beyond boring with their hypocrisy "Wealthy French Push for Extra Tax," World News, Aug. 24.

Tax My Income, but Hands Off My Wealth 2011

Getty Images French President Nicolas Sarkozy denied suggestions he took cash from Liliane Bettencourt to finance his 2007 presidential campaign.

Sarkozy Denies Donation Claims Gabriele Parussini 2011

L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, 89, was stripped of the power to manage her fortune as a court placed her under guardianship at the request of family members.

What's News— 2011