The widow of diet guru Robert Atkins is hitting back at the trustees of his estate, who want $8.7 million in back pay. Veronica Atkins, repped by powerhouse lawyer Roy Black, has asked Manhattan Surrogate Court to remove Clive Metz, John Corrigan and John Mezzanotte as trustees, saying they “callously exerted undue influence over a grieving widow and en gaged in self-dealing [and] waste.” The trustees say Veronica’s been seduced by a skirt-chasing opportun ist who’s after the $600 million she inherited. They accuse Alexis Mersentes - who wed Veronica last month, four years after her hubby’s death - of trying to scam the estate out of millions and call him “a womanizer and social climber” with a reputation “for hunting rich and single ladies, preferably widows, in Palm Beach.” Last year, the couple asked for $100 million from the estate, which already pays Veronica $1.2 million a month. But when the trustees rejected the request, Veronica alle gedly stopped paying their fees. They’re now suing for breach of contract. The trustees’ lawyer, Bruce Katzen, said of the latest legal missive: “We absolutely deny any breach of fiduciary duty. My clients have enhanced the value of the Atkins trust.”

(Via nypost.com)