a large-scale court battle for control of her large fortune and holdings. In the years after her death, many potential heirs fought each other for the money. 42 distant relatives of Abel Stearns tried to claim the estate, but a Los Angeles judge ruled that their rights were terminated by the marriage of de Stearns Baker to Colonel Baker, so they eventually settled for 10%. In the end, the rest of the estate was distributed among de Stearns Baker's relatives. The legacy of this battle, and of Arcadia Bandini's philanthropy, was recently revived in a 2011 court case in which "advocates of homeless veterans" sued the Veterans Administration for renting out a substantial part of the land de Stearns Baker had originally donated to the federal government to found a National Home for Disabled Veterans. One of the plaintiffs was Carolina Winston Barrie, who was referred to as a "direct descendant" of Arcadia Bandini – but because Bandini had no children, this is inaccurate in the traditional sense of the term. Barrie is rather the great-great niece of de Stearns Baker, and the direct descendant of one of the heirs of the estate. Ultimately, the federal government settled in the case and the Veterans Administration must "develop a master land-use plan...that identifies sites for housing homeless veterans." See also Don Abel Stearns House Concepción Argüello Juana Briones de Miranda References 1827 births 1912 deaths 19th-century American businesswomen 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American landowners 19th-century American philanthropists 19th-century women landowners 19th-century women philanthropists 20th-century American businesswomen 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American landowners 20th-century American philanthropists American people of Mexican descent American people of Peruvian descent American socialites American women company founders American women landowners Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Los Angeles) Businesspeople from Los Angeles Businesspeople from San Diego Californios Clubwomen History of Santa Monica, California Land owners from California Mexican people of Peruvian descent People from Santa Monica, California Philanthropists from California