Erwin Müller, the founder of the well-known drugstore chain, has been entangled in a public dispute with his three adult adopted children since Monday. The hearing at the Ulm district court involved the drugstore entrepreneur and his wife Anita Müller on one side, and their adopted children on the other. The children are demanding their compulsory portion of the inheritance and are suing the Müller couple for it.
The conflict arose from a contract in which the adoptees had apparently waived their compulsory share. The adoptees’ lawyer, Maximilian Ott, argued that the contract was immoral and void of form. The three plaintiffs chose not to comment on the case. The Müller couple’s lawyer, Anton Steiner, stated that ongoing legal proceedings would not be discussed.
Erwin Müller started his career as a hairdresser in 1953, opening his first salon in his parents’ apartment in Bavaria. He later expanded to include cosmetics and drugstore items in his salon, eventually opening his first pure drugstore in 1973 in Ulm. Today, the drugstore chain employs over 35,000 people in more than 900 branches across Europe.
The dispute between Müller and his adopted children has garnered public attention, with both sides presenting their arguments in court. The outcome of the proceedings will determine the distribution of the inheritance and could have lasting implications for the Müller family.
