A cafe owner claiming to be Reg Grundy's 'love child' faces an uphill battle to prove he's the late media mogul's son after DNA tests came back 'inconclusive'.
Simon Russell appeared in a Sydney court on Wednesday, looking to claim his piece of Dr Grundy's $900 million fortune after he died in 2016.
Mr Russell's barrister Nicolas Kirby told Justice Geoff Lindsay that the results of a biological test had come back 'inconclusive,' the Daily Telegraph reported.
Kirby said that they happened to have a DNA sample at a pathology company, but once testing was completed it had insufficient DNA to construct a profile, which came back inconclusive.
The former Mayor claiming to be Reg Grundy's (right) 'love child' in the fight for a slice of his $900million fortune has been pictured for the first time (left)
Also in the court was Dr Grundy’s estranged daughter Viola La Valette and widow Carolyn Joy Chambers-Grundy - who have already started battling over his estate.
Mr Kirby said his client was now seeking a court order to get Ms Chambers-Grundy to list all the 'medical entities' that could hold biological matter that belongs to Dr Grundy.
Justice Lindsay then asked why they hadn't tested a biological sample from Dr Grundy's daughter Viola La Valette: 'If they are half brother and sister won't that not show?' he asked.
Reg Grundy is pictured above with his second wife Joy Chambers in 2005
But Kirby said that it isn't a worthy substitute and it's not conclusive.
He even said that running biological tests on Ms La Valette could uncover that she may not be Dr Grundy's.
But Justice Lindsay disagreed with this argument, and said the idea that La Valette isn't his daughter is too unlikely to not have the siblings tested.
Outside the court Russell was coy when asked why he believes Dr Grundy is his father.
'I'm not going to go into it unless the DNA comes back and then we can go from there. There's no story until the DNA turns up.'
Ms La Valette, who didn't speak to her father for more than 20 years, is also seeking millions of dollars from Dr Grundy's will, on top of the $250,000 she already gets each year.
Mr Russell's chances of claiming any of the $900million estate depends entirely on the paternity test results.
Mr Grundy - who died aged 92 in 2016 - left behind assets worth $800million overseas and $71million in Australia.
Mr Russell is the owner of Roc Cafe in Black Rock, a Bayside suburb of Melbourne, which has been reportedly closed for weeks, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Mr Russell (right), was born before Mr Grundy (left) married his first wife Lola Powell in 1954, refused to comment pending DNA testing
The cafe appears to be floundering as it has been shut for the past month and is currently on the market.
Mr Russell is a well-known businessman in the area and served the community as a councillor for over a decade.
He was first elected as Mayor for Sandringham Council in 1994 and was elected as Mayor a second time in 2001 and 2002 for Bayside Council,
