Richard Simmons' Car Sells At Auction Amid Family's Battle Over Estate Trustee

The drama between Richard Simmons' family and his longtime housekeeper is far from over, but that didn't stop the sale of the late fitness guru's car.

Five months after the beloved wellness expert's death, his 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged vehicle was auctioned off. The sale came amid heightened tensions between the late entertainer's brother and his employee.

Richard Simmons's longtime housekeeper and companion, Teresa Reveles, accused his brother, Leonard Simmons, of tricking her into giving up her rights as a co-trustee of the estate. However, the family fired back, claiming her motion to be reinstatedwas fueled by greed.

According to new reports, Richard's Range Rover was sold to the highest bidder on Tuesday, December 3, for $30,750. The "Bring A Trailer" auction house claimed the price was a steal as the car had around 18,000 miles and a luxurious interior.

The vehicle featured 20" rims, leather seats, a wood-trimmed steering wheel, a sunroof, a touchscreen infotainment system, and heated seats. It also had a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine with 510 horsepower, 461 lb-ft of torque, and a six-speed automatic transmission.

Additionally, TMZ shared that Richard took great care of the car during his lifetime, as the Range Rover had a clean Carfax report and passed its most recent smog check. Given the ongoing strained relationship between the late fitness guru's family and his housekeeper, it was unclear who authorized the car's sale.

Days before the car's sale, The Blast reported that Richard's brother, Leonard, had filed a report for several missing items. He claimed he could not find "song lyrics that [Richard] wrote for a Broadway play he was working on and other handwritten notes for social media to be posted the following week."

Leonard did not name a culprit nor point fingers at Richard's longtime housekeeper for the missing items. His report came months after Teresa accused him and his wife Cathy of tricking her into giving up her co-trustee rights.

Teresa claimed the couple made her sign the documents amid her grief without explaining what it entailed. However, the family refuted the claims, with their spokesperson, Tom Estey, slamming Richard's longtime employee with the statement:

"Richard's message was always one of joy and positivity. He would be heartbroken to learn of Teresa's greed and insulted that she would diminish their three decades of supposed friendship in such a public way."

The Simmons family's spokesperson claimed Teresa's legal actions threatened Richard's "incredible legacy," which they were working hard to preserve. He stressed that co-trustees must work for the estate's best interest, but the housekeeper had shown she was not on the same page.

"Even now, two months after he died, she is staying in his house, even though she has her own residence, and she has attempted to charge the estate for her living expenses," Esty claimed. He also slammed her for wasting the estate beneficiaries' time and assets with her "meritless and pointless litigation."

However, Teresa fired back by updating her motion to be reinstated as co-trustee of the estate with a plea for Leonard's suspension. She claimed Richard would be disappointed by his brother's actions since his death and move to stop him from exploiting the entertainer's image and likeness.

Teresa claimed, "Richard Simmons would roll over in his grave if he knew what his brother Leonard has done." She accused him of disrespecting the wellness influencer's final wishes by working with his former manager to "pillage Richard's assets and legacy."

She claimed the manager had been dismissed for exploitation in the past, stressing: "Richard stated that he 'would rather die' than participate in another project with him." Teresa also noted that her late employer rejected the manager's attempts to work on a documentary about his life.

In the Simmons family's rebuttal, their spokesperson slammed Teresa's involvement in a pitched Netflix documentary about Richard's life. Esty argued that her participation in the project would do more harm than good to the late fitness instructor's legacy.

According to Richard's autopsy report, his cause of death was ruled as an accident due to a "ground-level fall." He suffered a bathroom slip because of dizziness, leading to his eventual death from "blunt traumatic injuries."

The medical examiner also cited cardiovascular disease as another cause of his death. Richard reportedly could not get up from the bathroom floor after slipping and spent several hours lying down before Teresa found him.

Although he struggled with mobility, the housekeeper noted he was "alert and responsive." She stayed with him for a while and helped him take his medication before he went to sleep. Unfortunately, Richard passed away the following day on July 13.

Will Richard Simmons's family and his longtime housekeeper settle anytime soon?