MALIBU : New Claim Made on Estate Delays Sperm Case Ruling

Another woman came forward Friday to stake her claim to William Kane’s estate, further delaying disposition of the frozen sperm the Malibu man willed to his lover before killing himself last October.

At a Los Angeles County Probate Court hearing, Kane’s former companion and business partner, Barbara Kelly, demanded a share of Kane’s assets so she can pay off between $200,000 and $300,000 in debts. She said the debts were incurred against KKA Inc., a real estate consulting firm she ran with Kane from 1975 to 1986.

Kane left 12 vials of sperm at a Westwood sperm bank to his girlfriend, Deborah Hecht, with the instructions that she was to bear their child if she so desired. Because of a probate fight over the estate, however, Hecht has been blocked from obtaining the sperm.

The dispute has pitted Hecht against Kane’s children, one of whom is represented by Kane’s ex-wife, Pasadena attorney Sandra Irwin. Although the two sides apparently reached an agreement, Kelly’s objection scuttled it.