The handwriting expert report on Sarlo's will is here: the information that is worth its weight in gold in the succession.

The calligraphic expertise on the manuscripts presented by the manager Melanio Alberto Meza López, of the building at Hidalgo 140 where Beatriz Sarlo lived until her death , is already filed in the estate file. The reason its contents have not been revealed is that the court currently in charge has not substantiated it. However, this is not a delay by Judge Cecilia Kandus, in charge of National Civil Court No. 24. She was precisely the judge who ordered the inventory of all the assets in the late essayist's apartment and the change of the lock.

This measure had been requested by the person who initiated Sarlo's inheritance proceedings last February: her ex-husband, Alberto Sato (from whom she was never legally divorced but from whom she had been separated for 50 years). Sato did so when the person in charge of the inheritance proceedings, Melanio Alberto Meza López, appeared with two manuscripts attributed to Sarlo , in which he placed him "in charge" of her apartment and her cat, Nini.

Judge Carlos Goggi of the 91st National Civil Court, in response to a presentation by Alberto Meza—as Sarlo called him—dismissed Sato, and his lawyer appealed. After this, Chamber E of the Civil Court "reinstated" him . Following this decision, Goggi excused himself from the case, so the expert report that had been conducted at that time was neither processed nor forwarded to any of the parties.

The Chamber's decision prompted Judge Goggi to recuse himself from continuing with the succession, after which he transferred it to Judge Fernando Cesari, head of National Civil Court No. 60. This judge also recused himself because the mother of Agustín Lipovsek, Sato's lawyer, was a doctor who treated the judge's children. However, the lawyer had also worked in that court.

Cesari invoked "reasons of decorum and delicacy," but the Court returned the case to him, finding no grounds for "moral violation." Thus, the case ended up in the hands of Judge Cecilia Kandus in the 24th National Civil Court and has now returned to Judge Cesari .

It remains to be seen whether Meza's lawyer or that of Ernestina del Río, Sato's first cousin, who appeared at the trial last week, will insist on disqualifying Cesari to keep the case in Judge Kandus's hands.

The handwriting examination would shed light on the Sarlo documents in Meza López's possession. If we speculate—always based on what the Code of Criminal Procedure and case law tell us—we can deduce that the examination would reveal whether the handwriting on the handwritten documents in the caretaker's possession belongs to the deceased essayist.

The expert will have analyzed the validity of the signature compared to other documents, and could include other details related to the signer's emotional state. However , this would not approximate the validity of said documents as a "holographic will." That decision rests exclusively with the judge who will hear the probate proceedings.

Furthermore, through various pieces of evidence that the other litigants will surely attach to the file (if they haven't already), it will be necessary to demonstrate the state of health in which Beatriz Sarlo signed the alleged holographic will. The alleged will isn't dated. It only says "June 9" at the beginning, followed by a scribble that doesn't make sense as the year.

For example, without specifically referring to Sarlo, a person who is not in full possession of their faculties due to mental illness cannot sign a valid holographic will. This is subject to testing, and it will be Sato and Del Río who will have to compile—if that were the case with Sarlo —the medical history of the author of " Not Understanding: Memoirs of an Intellectual," as well as summon witnesses from Sarlo's inner circle who can shed light on additional information essential to the judge in the case when it comes to validating or rejecting the essayist's manuscript as a will in her own handwriting.

In any case, the complexity of these documents lies in the lack of clarity as to what Sarlo transferred to Meza . No real right, such as usufruct, for example, can be transferred in this manner. They require a public deed. And if leaving it "in charge" means a loan for use , it is a loose contractual arrangement that can be terminated at any time at the discretion of the principal or his legitimate heirs.

The borrower doesn't pay rent, for example, since the loan is free of charge. In that case, Meza López wouldn't have the right to use the apartment, but he would have the right to use it . All of this is subject to the judge's discretion.

To be clear: Sarlo left caretaker Meza López "in charge" of her apartment at 140 Hidalgo Street and her cat, Nini . The man had access to the home with a set of keys.

A brief profile of Meza López , who has remained secretive after chatting with several people, reveals that he had at least two previous partners with whom he had no children. He was in a relationship with one for 11 years, with the second, for five years. He was unable to have children with either of them . According to neighbors, who are always willing to speak anonymously, both wanted to be mothers. Now, with a third partner, Melanio cherishes the dream of becoming a father, as the girl is pregnant.

It remains to be seen what action the City's Public Prosecutor's Office will take. Under an administration like Jorge Macri's, which has just recovered more than 340 public and private properties from illegal squatters, the Attorney General is waiting in anticipation.

And amid the nominations for Sarlo's heirs, there's Niní, her beloved cat, waiting to find out who will finally be her responsible human. For now, she's in the care of the doorman. Whoever ultimately inherits the apartment at Hidalgo 140, in Caballito, will have to "take care" of Niní. Let's hope there isn't another trial for her.