A Longer Look at Tonight's 20/20 About the Battle for Mary Ellen's Swiss Ave. Manse

• I have recently become fascinated with the case and have perused many sites and comments. I have seen slipperdoc2 before and thinks thou doth protest too much. You are one of "the boys" aren't you?

• I have spent much of the last decade buying and flipping houses, generally homes built from the 1930 through post war. I have toured 4949 more than once and the mansion remains a structural masterpiece. The original 1917 wiring remains in much of the house and the plumbing is what one would expect. Houses like this take on a life of their own. This will always be Mary Ellen's house. I understand that there are still several unresolved legal cases, both civil and criminal. A title company is going to be very hesitent to deliver a true title certificate until those cases have been resolved. Meanwhile the house continues to decay the taxes keep piling up as do the billable hours. This house will eventually sell for less than 600k. I would estimate 250-300k to make it ready to put on the market for at least $1.5MM. Buyers will hear things go bump in the night and the occasional laughter. And it will be Mary Ellen, the bottle blonde, in 5" sling back heels, opera length pearls, a high end mink, jungle red lipstick looking for another glass of champagne. MEB and her mansion will always be the Queen of Swiss Avenue.

• I am in Australia and saw the episode of 20/20 detailing this story. I am outraged at the rotten behaviour of the 'couple' and the unethical lawyer. How sad for that old lady that she died surrounded by false friends with the intention of stealing her assets. I truly hope the three life losers get what they deserve. I saw the video tape showing the old lady being coaxed as she lay in hospital, and their is no defense or denying what those three losers did. Prison for all three would be appropriate, along with a finacial payout to Mary Ellen's daughter for the suffering they caused her. That would be fair and just!!!!!!!!!!!

• Hey "slipperdoc2", let me speak for everyone here in saying that if 2 antique dealing chumps have a Will pre-drafted by their lawyer for the sole purpose of shoving it in the face of a 87 year old woman on her deathbed in order to claim ownership of her house...after doing essentially the same thing 3 times previously in 3 other cases...they are so far from innocent that, in a State like Texas, they would be wise to get their butts out of the State before someone with a sense of outrage shows up on their doorstep to completely and fully express that outrage. These chumps, their lawyer, and you, are cut from the same cloth: Used toilet paper.

• BEFORE THE PEASANTS COME OUT WITH TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS LET US REMEMBER THAT WE ARE ALL INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE. DO YOU REMEMBER POOR RICHARD JEWELL THAT THE 'HONORABLE THIRD ESTATE ' JUMPED ON AS THE GUILTY PARTY IN THE ATLANTA BOMBING? HE WAS VILIFIED , HOUNDED AND ALMOST ENDED UP IN JAIL AND GUESS WHAT , PEOPLE ? THE MAN WAS INNOCENT.INNOCENT, INNOCENT! HOW MANY INNOCENT MEN HAS OUR CURRENT D.A. FOUND INNOCENT? DON'T BELIEVE EVERY WORD YOU READ . EVERYONE IN THIS SAGA HAS SOMETHING TO GAIN AND SOMETHING TO HIDE. UNLESS YOU WERE THERE YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. MARY ELLEN WAS NOT CONNED. SHE KNEW , LOVED AND TRUSTED ' HER BOYS' FOR 15 YEARS. THEY TOOK GOOD CARE OF HER AND SHE DID NOT WANT TO BE MOVED FROM HER BELOVED HOME AND ASKED THEM TO HELP HER STAY THERE BY WHATEVER MEANS IT TOOK . A STORY LIKE THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS AND 20/20 MAKES GOOD READING WITH OVERTONES OF SUNSET BOULEVARD AND VILLAINS BUT THESE MEN WHO ARE NOT ANTIQUE DEALERS BUT DEAL IN ART- DECO ,DESIGN PIECES FOR MANY FAMOUS PEOPLE AND MOVIE SETS AND REFURBISH ART DECO FURNITURE. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT . I DO NOT USE MY NAME BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE LOW LIFE PEOPLE ON THIS BLOG THAT HAVE ACTUALLY GIVEN OUT STREET ADDRESSES RESULTING IN SOME PRETTY NASTY THINGS HAPPENING. DEATH THREATS . HOPE YOU ARE ALL VERY PROUD OF YOURSELVES.

• Older, are you sure the house was built with steel beams?

• I think the Morning News had an expose on this very house and was quite interesting,Swiss Ave.has its own dark side no one sees.

• Actually that house was built by a commercial builder that built banks for the original owner. It has iron I beams instead of wooden framing. So the house is structurally quite sound.

• Checking the property on dcad.org shows it's owned by Ms. Bendtsen's Estate c/o her daughter (who I assume is the executor). The value shown there is probably much closer to its real current value than $849,000. It also indicates that the property is in "very poor" condition. I believe that also.

• Ooops! Should have dropped the 'unfairness' portion of my post. I was going to rant about property evaulations, but decided I need to do more research first.

• I don't know anything about this situation, but a quick check of city records (via the internet) reveals that the house is still listing Mary Ellen Bendtsen as the owner. It also shows the unfairness in tax assessment. This property is valued at $515,730.

• I imagine this house needs what car guys call a "frame off" restoration.

• That house is way overpriced...it's maybe worth half that.

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