In 1976, Hughes died. Dummar was working at a gas station in Willard when a stranger appeared and left him an envelope. The lawsuit said the man was later identified as a "confidential agent of Howard Hughes."

The handwritten will was attached as an exhibit to the new lawsuit. So was an envelope that reads: "Dear Mr. McKay, Please see that this will is delivered after my death to Clark County Court House Las Vegas Nevada. Howard R. Hughes."

The lawsuit said that Dummar steamed the envelope open and found the will. He delivered it to the LDS Church and Dummar's attorneys claim a handwriting expert verified it was Hughes' writing.

During the 1976 probate trial, Dummar's lawyers allege that Lummis and Gay conspired to have witnesses discredit the man and claimed Hughes never left his home at the Desert Inn Hotel.

Lummis and Gay were served with summons' to answer the lawsuit on Monday. Their attorneys in the Utah lawsuit have called Dummar's attempts "fanciful speculative claims" that are "too little, too late," pointing out that it has been more than 30 years since the probate trial.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com