Flirty texts between a well-known European actor and his Australian personal assistant have emerged as she won the right to claim a share in his multi-million dollar estate after claiming their relationship turned sexual.
Actor Daniele Legler, who was born in Italy and raised in Switzerland, died in April 2022 aged 72 and left his five children a 'substantial estate' with assets across NSW, Portugal, Liechtenstein and Malta.
Zhenya Vernon, who was born in Russia but is an Australian citizen, claimed in the NSW Supreme Court the pair were in a de facto relationship and had been living together at his beachside home in Portugal for six years before his death.
The court saw texts from the successful actor that he sent on April 22, 2022, only hours before his death.
Mr Legler sent Ms Vernon, who is in her early 40s, a message stating: 'Wouldn't mind having you in my pool…'.
Zhenya Vernon, who was born in Russia but is an Australian citizen, claimed in the NSW Supreme Court she and Mr Legler were in a de facto relationship and had been living together at his beachside home in Portugal for six years before his death
European actor Daniele Legler (pictured left on the set of German TV showKreuzfahrt ins Glück) left his estate to his five children
He continued the flirtatious text exchange with an offer to take her 'romantically' to La Biennale di Venezia, a cultural exhibition in the Italian city of Venice, reported news.com.au.
'I want to go to the desrt (sic) with you and I want to go in a boat with you. This year. And to Venice. And to Russia and Ukraine? I want to go with you,' he wrote.
Mr Legler then died of a heart attack at about 3am on April 23, at one of his residences in Lagos, Portugal.
Melbourne-based Ms Vernon first met Mr Legler - 30 years her senior - when she helped him get a visa to Australia to visit his two young children from a former marriage.
The eldest of Mr Legler's five children, Nadja, 31, argued in court Ms Vernon was attempting to take their 'rightful inheritance'.
In a judgement handed down this week, Justice Pike ruled that while Ms Vernon did appear to be 'motivated by self-interest and financial gain', she also had a valid claim.
Ms Vernon markets herself as a visa consultant and court documents show emails sent from Mr Legler to friends describing her as efficient and capable.
She moved to Australia in 2004 aged 24-years-old with her former husband, a British citizen, and in 2012 completed a diploma to qualify her to work as a migration agent.
She has also authored a fitness book titled 'How to Love getting the Shape You Want: Why Feeling Good and Looking Great Opens More Doors' and has competed in bodybuilding competitions.
Mr Legler had appeared in more than 30 films and television productions in Europe and had been working as an acting coach in his later years, travelling the globe and conducting workshops.
Mr Legler (pictured) had 'considerable' wealth from family money and working as an actor for three decades. He had been recently been teaching masterclasses around the globe
His acting work along with family money from his father Fredy, who was president of the Legler Textile Group known for its cotton and denim production, had seen Mr Legler amass a considerable fortune.
Much of that wealth is held in property along with bank and cryptocurrency accounts in Europe and Australia.
Mr Legler's oldest daughter Nadja is one of three children from his first marriage, while his two youngest children from his second marriage were born during a brief period where he was living in Australia on the northern NSW coast.
Nadja told the court she was not aware of her father and Ms Vernon's relationship being anything but professional.
However, after she was shown emails and texts sent by him to friends, she conceded there may have been a 'sexual' aspect but she still did not believe they were together.
Ms Vernon (pictured) met Mr Legler as a visa consultant when he was arranging to visit his Australian-based children from a previous marriage
'She took the view that what Zhenya was doing in these proceedings was seeking to cheat her and her siblings out of their rightful inheritance,' Justice Pike noted.
One of the emails sent by Mr Legler to a friend Dr Alberto Ferrari in 2018 outlined the pair's relationship.
'Zhenya is great, she does almost everything ... she is capable, a manager, diplomatic, arranges meetings, deals with the Russian House, the Russian Government and Oz, she has contacts in both countries, and now even with the Middle East,' Mr Legler wrote.
'I consider her a secret person, a friend, and lately a little bit more: ... ah ah!! A leopard can't change its spots...
'But I am 68 and there is some money, she knows.'
The court was also shown emails from Ms Vernon where she spoke about her relationship with Mr Legler and his adult children.
In 2020, Ms Vernon sent an email to the actor's son, Janis, telling him she had 'finished the relationships (sic) with your father'.
'So don't worry about anything as I am f***ing off,' she wrote.
The next day she then wrote an email apologising for her language.
'Janis, I apologise for the disturbed messages I sent you yesterday. I had too many drinks at lunch yesterday and was not able to keep emotions down,' she wrote.
'Hope for understanding and will not happen again. Zhenya.'
The court heard raunchy texts the actor (pictured, far left) sent to Ms Vernon hours before he died
The court also heard evidence from a friend of Ms Vernon, Yevgeniy Kushkin, who she has known since 2003 and is a business owner and former Deputy Director of International Relations at Sverdlovsk Film Studios in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
He told the court when the couple were visiting Russia for Mr Legler to teach an acting masterclass he had told him: 'I love Zhenya. She is very important to me'.
'Now that I am with Zhenya ... our lives are centred around Australia ... I plan to go back to Australia soon to see my twins.'
However the court also heard Ms Vernon kept in contact with an on-again-off-again boyfriend based in Australia while in a relationship with Mr Legler and that she texted him after Mr Legler died to say: 'By the way the Swiss has died this Friday'.
The court also heard on the day after Mr Legler died she withdrew $35,000 from his Australian Westpac account followed by another $22,300 days later.
She also withdrew €63,000 ($102,076 AUD) from a European joint account shortly after his death.
Justice Pike also had reservations about Ms Vernon's credit, describing her as an 'unsatisfactory and unreliable witness'.
'Zhenya repeatedly refused to answer the question that she was asked but instead made long speeches which she believed would assist her case,' he noted.
Despite his concerns Justice Pike ruled he was satisfied that while the pair travelled frequently they both considered the residence in Portugal their home base and that they did indeed live there together.
'I am satisfied that the relationship remained on foot as at the date of the death of the Deceased,' he said in his decision.
'She was his de facto within the meaning of the relevant statutory provisions.'
Justice Pike appointed an independent person as administrator of the will.
The matter will return to court in July to hear a claim for costs.
