A California woman settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of her longtime ex-partner and father of her children, whom she was accused of murdering a few years ago, according to reports.
Tiffany Li, dubbed the “Hillsborough Heiress,” agreed to pay $5 million apiece to both her daughters, 9 and 11, who were listed as plaintiffs in the filing, KGO-TV reported, citing court records. The lawsuit came after the death of Keith Green in 2016, and the 2022 settlement is coming to light now after Li fought to keep the terms sealed.
In addition, Li paid Green’s estate $50,000 for the children’s trust funds and his mother, Colleen Cudd, $100,000. Cudd told local news that the purpose of the lawsuit was to “make sure the girls had something for themselves when they turned 18 and that their mother didn’t control them.”
The mother of two from the Bay Area is an heiress to a family real estate fortune in China. According to the outlet, she was charged with conspiring the murder of Green, along with co-defendants — her boyfriend, identified as Kaveh Bayat, and their bodyguard, Olivier Adella.
Li and Green were going head to head in a heated custody dispute over the children at the time Of his death. The former couple met in 2009 during their early 20s, and she quickly introduced him to a luxurious lifestyle, per the AP. While together, they settled into a $7 million mansion in San Francisco. After six years, Li reportedly decided to cut ties with Green for a relationship with Bayat.
After she was arrested, Li’s family notably posted $35 million bail to get her out, and in 2019, a jury cleared her of the charges. Prosecutors argued that Bayat fatally shot Green when he and Li were meeting to talk about the custody of their children, KTLA reported. They were accused of hiring Adella to discard the body, which was discovered in a field.
The outlet reported that Li’s defense team said Green’s death was a result of a flawed kidnapping scheme. Due to a hung jury, officials dropped the charges against Bayat. During an interview with a KGO-TV reporter, Adella — who pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact charge — gave insight to his alleged role in trying to get rid of Green’s body.
“What’s going through my mind? Well, you’re a Black man in America, my friend,” Adella said, per the outlet. “You’re screwed. You get rid of the body, you’re screwed. You don’t get rid of the body, you’re screwed.”
No one was imprisoned in connection with Green’s killing.
