Tony Hsieh's disputed will examined in sealed forensic report

A forensic chemist, Gerald LaPorte, was hired to analyze the physical characteristics of the purported will of the late Zappos founder Tony Hsieh. His 410‑page report detailed ink, paper, font, creases and staple holes in an effort to determine whether the document was created on the claimed 2015 date or later. The report was filed with the Clark County District Court in Nevada but was immediately sealed after a lawyer for Hsieh’s father, Richard Hsieh, argued that the document contained the son’s Social Security number and should be expunged.

The will, which surfaced in 2025, directs more than $50 million in real estate and cash to unnamed trusts, with a $3 million bequest to Harvard University and other charitable gifts. Hsieh’s family disputes its authenticity, noting missing witnesses, misspellings, a non‑native‑speaker drafting style, and executors who never met the decedent. A judge has ordered ink testing to verify the signatures, and the probate case continues to determine whether the $500 million estate will be distributed according to the contested document or according to intestacy laws.