The Region : UC Sues for Cash Pledge

University of California regents filed suit to claim a $10-million charitable pledge from the estate of a Beverly Hills woman, who died before signing the check. The donation, pledged by oil heiress Burton Green Bettingen before her death on March 26, is critical for completion of a new medical sciences complex at UCLA, according to the Los Angeles Superior Court suit. Bettingen had drafted the donation check on March 19 and transferred the funds to cover it, but died a week later without ever affixing her signature, said UC attorney Christine Helwick. The regents said they had planned to name one of the buildings in the complex the Bettingen Medical Sciences Building, but cannot proceed with the agreement unless a judge awards them the donation from Bettingen’s estate. Bettingen’s probate administrator rejected a claim filed by the regents in October.