A judge has ruled against Anne Heche's ex, James Tupper, in his petition to become their 13-year-old son Atlas' guardian, according to reports.
The Tuesday ruling further denied Tupper's petition that would grant him control over Atlas' portion of Heche's estate until he turns 18, Us Weekly reported.
A rep for Homer Heche Laffoon, Heche's eldest son whom she shared with ex-husband Coleman Laffoon, applauded the decision in a statement to the outlet Tuesday.
"We are pleased — but not surprised — with the court's ruling this morning denying James' petition to appoint himself guardian ad litem for Atlas," the statement read. "We look forward to the court resolving Homer's petition at the next hearing and, in the meantime, Homer will continue to diligently administer the Estate pursuant to his authority as Special Administrator."
Homer, 20, initially filed for control over his mother's estate in September. Tupper attempted to reject the petition as Atlas' primary guardian, claiming in legal documents obtained by Us Weekly a month after Heche's death that Homer is "not suitable for appointment" because of his age and lack of income. Tupper further argued that Homer may not act "in his brother's best interest" after refusing to attend grief counseling with Atlas.
"This is particularly upsetting given that Atlas is 13 years old, was with his mother on the day of her death and he has reached out to Homer repeatedly," the documents alleged. "In fact, since their mother's death, Homer has not seen his brother, nor had contact with him."
Homer responded late last month, slamming Tupper for his "unfounded personal attacks" amid the ongoing estate battle.
"Mr. Tupper's claims regarding [Homer's] 'suitability' to serve as personal representative are not only immaterial, they are inaccurate and unfounded," Homer claimed in court documents obtained by Us on Sept. 29.
Heche crashed her car into a Los Angeles home in August. The 53-year-old actor suffered a severe anoxic brain injury, a pulmonary injury that required mechanical ventilation, and severe burns that required surgical intervention, a rep told Page Six.
Heche fell into a coma and a week later, on Aug. 12, she was pronounced brain dead but remained on life support until Aug. 14 to allow time for an organ registry to find recipients.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.