Walker’s time with his daughter was cut short by the accident that took his life. Following his death, the 15-year-old Meadow inherited the actor’s estate worth $25 million as she was the sole beneficiary of his will.
Soteros did not receive any share of Walker’s wealth but was involved in a dramatic situation around the time after Cheryl Walker, the late actor’s mother petitioned to be Meadow’s legal guardian.
Cheryl cited the two DUIs on Soretos’s record as the motivation behind her bid for guardianship. Her court paper also claimed that “parental custody would be detrimental to the minor” because of Soteros’s drinking problems.
This incident is also the only time Soretos came into the spotlight after Walker’s death. According to E!, they were caught completely off guard by Cheryl’s bid for guardianship and they found out about it after seeing it on TMZ. E Online also released a statement from a source close to the two:
There have been discussions but no one told [Meadow and Soretos] they were going ahead with it. They first heard it when they saw it on TMZ. They are very disgusted by this. This is completely thoughtless and disrespectful.
While Soteros did have two DUIs in her record, there was no evidence indicating that she wouldn’t be able to take care of Meadow.
An insider commented on the case saying things were blown out of proportion and that Serotos had taken care of Meadow alone for a long time. The insider also added that she was a schoolteacher and had ample experience in parenting.
She doesn’t have a drinking problem. From what I know, she has never once been incapable of not taking care of her children… Rebecca is a great mother and Meadow is a very happy child. Their relationship is excellent. They are good friends and very close just like any mother and daughter. Rebecca was basically the only parent raising Meadow for 12 years of her life. Rebecca is a former school teacher and good with children.
Cheryl later agreed to drop her case under the condition that Serotos would complete a rehabilitation program. Soteros completed the program and Cheryl ended the petition as agreed.
