By Angel Au-Yeung and Katherine Sayre

When troubled entrepreneur Tony Hsieh died in a fire, he left behind thousands of sticky notes on the walls of his home in Park City, Utah, many promising millions of dollars to former colleagues and friends.

With no sign of a will, the former Zappos CEO's family and the circle of hangers-on who had witnessed his descent into alcohol and drug abuse spent years fighting over his estate in court. Now, a mysterious court filing found in the possessions of a dead man suggests that Hsieh may have left behind a legal record of his final wishes.

Hsieh amassed a fortune from the sale of online shoe-retailer Zappos to Amazon for $1.2 billion and from investments in property across downtown Las Vegas, his adopted hometown.

A document that appears to be Hsieh's will was included in a recent court filing, a surprising development in an already bizarre and dramatic fight over his fortune. Signed in early 2015, the document suggests Hsieh had crafted a vision for the future of his money after all, one that he intended to keep secret from his beneficiaries.

"By doing so, I have structured my way of surprising and leaving essentially all my beneficiaries to experience the 'WOW' factor in their life," the document says. "I want my beneficiaries to 'live in the wow' and to enjoy" the gifts as "a memorable and meaningful experience."

The will transfers just over $50 million and several Las Vegas properties to a series of trusts whose beneficiaries remain a mystery. It also designates several million in gifts to foundations, his alma mater Harvard University and to family members. After these assets have been distributed, the rest of his fortune would be left to his family.

It lays out several specific donations, including $3 million to Harvard, $500,000 to the American National Red Cross, and $250,000 each to the Gates Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

In his final months, Hsieh made financial promises to friends and associates while he struggled with alcohol and drug abuse. The estate has argued Hsieh wasn't of sound mind when he made those financial agreements.

The purported will includes a no-contest clause addressed to his family: If any of his four remaining family members decides to fight Hsieh's wishes, all of them will receive nothing. Attorneys for Hsieh's family didn't respond to requests for comment.

Hsieh was regarded as a business visionary who revolutionized online shopping and corporate culture over two decades, creating one of the most customer-obsessed online businesses in history. He became beloved among tech workers after publishing "Delivering Happiness," his memoir that encouraged bosses to give priority to their employees' happiness in the workplace.

He died in November 2020 at the age of 46 from injuries in a house fire in New London, Conn., where he was staying with friends. A medical examiner ruled the death an accident.

Hsieh left behind an estate worth hundreds of millions of dollars. A judge appointed his father, Richard Hsieh, to manage the estate.

The document was found in February in the possessions of Pir Muhammad, according to a court filing last week. The court filing doesn't disclose any other details about Muhammad or how he knew Hsieh. Muhammad, now deceased, had Alzheimer's disease and "was not aware" that Hsieh had died, according to a letter in the latest court filing.

The individual who found the purported will contacted the district clerk's office shortly thereafter and sent the original document to court.

A copy of the will was also sent to Robert Armstrong, a high-profile Nevada estate lawyer whom Hsieh named in the will as a co-executor of his estate, according to a letter in the court filing. Armstrong didn't respond to a request for comment.

Muhammad was one of five witnesses who signed the purported will. It's unclear how Hsieh knew the other signatories, whose addresses are listed as Las Vegas and Clark County, Nev.

Muhammad was given "exclusive possession" of the will, according to the filing. Hsieh also had recorded a video about his plans, the filing states, but it's unclear whether the footage has been found.

One of the alleged witnesses, Ishrat Daud, wrote to The Wall Street Journal through an encrypted email listed in the filing and acknowledged acting as a witness "a number of years ago." He didn't respond to further questions. The other witnesses couldn't be reached for comment.

A court hearing has been scheduled in May in Las Vegas.

In addition to this will, there is a "fallback" version, or a first draft that could be used if anyone contests this will, according to the court filing. It's unclear if the first draft of the will has been found.

Write to Angel Au-Yeung at angel.au-yeung@wsj.com and Katherine Sayre at katherine.sayre@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 23, 2025 11:50 ET (15:50 GMT)

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