The lawsuit, filed by Eric Richins’ living trust and estate, claims theft, wrongful death, misappropriation, and fraud, among other crimes.
A new lawsuit has been filed against Kouri Richins, the Utah widow who is accused of killing her husband with a fentanyl overdose and subsequently writing a children’s book on grief
The estate is seeking over $13 million in damages, with 18 different claims outlined in the court filings. Kouri Richins currently faces murder and drug charges related to the alleged poisoning of her husband, who was given a fatal dose of fentanyl in a drink. She has not yet entered a plea and is currently in custody. In a separate legal action earlier this month, Kouri sued Eric’s estate to acquire proceeds from his business and their family home.
The lawsuit against Kouri states that she “misappropriates Eric’s likeness and identity” in her children’s book on grief, and has not shared any of the book’s sales proceeds with the estate. The estate further alleges that Kouri embezzled money from her husband’s masonry company to cover debts from her own real estate business, KRR. The filing provides details of Kouri’s alleged actions, including taking money earmarked for taxes, obtaining a secret $250,000 loan, making substantial charges on her husband’s credit card, and securing secret insurance policies on Eric’s life worth $1.5 million, with herself as the sole beneficiary.
Eric Richins, aged 39, was discovered dead at the foot of the couple’s bed in March 2022
An autopsy and toxicology report indicated that he had approximately five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. According to a medical examiner, Kouri recounted to investigators that she had brought her husband a Moscow Mule cocktail in their Kamas, Utah, home’s bedroom. She then left to sleep with their son in his room, returning around 3 a.m. to find her husband cold and lying on the floor.
Around a year after her husband’s passing, Kouri published a children’s book titled “Are You With Me?” which explores the topic of navigating grief following the loss of a loved one.
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