The woman who lived in the house impacted by Anne Heche’s fatal car crash is suing the late actor’s estate for a minimum of $2m (£1.7m).
Heche, who was known for her performances in films such as Six Days Seven Nights and Birth, died in August after a car accident in Los Angeles. Her vehicle crashed into a house before bursting into flames.
The actor fell into a coma before being pronounced dead days later at age 53.
Lynne Mishele was renting the property that was hit and was inside when the incident occurred.
According to legal papers seen by Peopleon Tuesday (15 November), she was “working from home when she was stunned by the dramatic force of Heche’s vehicle slamming through the front wall and driving through the living room, kitchen, home office, and primary room closet before settling into the laundry/storage room of her house.”
Though Mishele was not physically harmed, the lawsuit details that she and her three pets narrowly escaped injury.
Her lawyers go on to describe Mishele as “terrified, severely traumatised, and without a place to live” as a result of the crash.
As well as emotional distress, the legal documents note that the impact of the crash “destroyed” various items of Mishele’s personal property, including “an entire lifetime of possessions, pictures and mementos, all her business papers and equipment, her laptop and iPad, all of her clothing, basic necessities, and household items”.
Her legal team is seeking “at least $2 million” in damages from Heche’s estate for “negligence”, “infliction of emotional distress” and “trespass”.
Mishele previously spoke out about the incident and her well wishes to Heche’s loved ones after she died.
“The news of Anne Heche passing is devastating. Her family and her friends and her children, especially, really have suffered a great loss, and my heart goes out for them,” she wrote.
“This entire situation is just tragic and there really are just no words. I’m sending love to everyone involved.”
