Brittany Murphy's mother claims toxic mold found in Brittany's swanky Hollywood home killed her daughter AND her son-in-law ... and now she wants someone to pay.

Brittany died from pneumonia in 2009 ... and five months later, her husband also passed away from the same ailment.

Sharon Murphy claims the people who built the house are to blame for the mold that caused their condition -- but according to a new lawsuit, Sharon alleges she was duped by her lawyers into giving up her rights to sue the builders for wrongful death.

Long story short -- Sharon says her lawyers convinced her to accept a settlement offer for the construction defects back in January ... but they failed to explain she would never be able to go after the builders for their alleged role in Brittany's death.

Now, Sharon has hired Michael Marzban to sue her former lawyers for legal malpractice -- and wants them to pay her what she could have won in a wrongful death suit ... and other damages.

More than a year after Brittany Murphy's death, officials have finally added her father's name to her death certificate ... after the guy complained he was being blocked from visiting his daughter's grave because of doubts he was a relative.



When Brittany died back in 2009, the death certificate read "Unknown" in the box asking for the name of her father -- this, despite the fact Angelo Bertolotti is listed as the father on Brittany's BIRTH certificate.

Angelo was married to Brittany's mom ... but they divorced when Brittany was 2 years old.

Angelo tells TMZ  ... initially he wasn't upset with the snub ... but he subsequently got angry when the staff at Forest Lawn cemetery wouldn't allow him to visit Brittany's grave site because he couldn't prove he was family.



So Angelo petitioned for a change -- and after bringing his I.D., photos of himself with Brittany and Brittany's birth certificate to the L.A. County Registrar ... his name was belatedly added to her death certificate.

Angelo tells us he's recently visited his daughter's grave several times ... without incident.

Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack's Hollywood death house won't be auctioned off today as planned -- in fact, TMZ has learned, the property could remain in purgatory for another two weeks.



The auction to sell off the giant Hollywood Hills home has been postponed at the bank's request.
We're told Brittany's mom Sharon asked for the extra time because she's trying to unload the house on her own.

As we previously reported, the house went into foreclosure recently -- and according to court docs filed earlier this month, over $4 million is still owed on the property.

The new auction date is February 14. Still need a V-Day gift idea?

The house both Brittany Murphy and her husband Simon Monjack died in has gone into foreclosure and will be auctioned off tomorrow ... this according to court docs.


The house, located in the Hollywood Hills, is 8,000 square feet on 1.29 acres. It's had a long history since Brittany passed away in December 2009. Back in March 2010, Brittany's mom Sharon put the home on the market with an asking price of $7.25 million.

Then in April 2010, Brittany's mom decided to pull the house off the market. About seven weeks later, Monjack was found dead in the home.

According to docs filed earlier this month, $4,035,666.92 is still owed on the home and an auction is set for Monday morning at 10:30 AM at the courthouse in Pomona, CA.

 

Brittany Murphy would have been 33-years-old today -- and to honor her memory, the actress' mother has decided to write a book on her life ... TMZ has learned.


In a statement through her rep, Sharon Murphy tells us, "This book will be my way of celebrating and honoring her extraordinary life and career."

Sharon insists the biography will be an "accurate account about my daughter, her life, loves, and career."

Murphy claims a portion of her profits from the book will be donated to charity. So far, no release date has been set.

Sharon Murphy is lashing out at the L.A. County Coroner's report on Simon Monjack's death -- especially the part that references her sharing a bed with Simon.


TMZ broke the story ... according to the final report an investigator walked through Simon's bedroom with a woman who identified one side of Simon's bed as "her side of the bed." The woman's name was withheld from the report, but law enforcement sources have identified her as Brittany Murphy's mom Sharon.

In a statement, Sharon says, "I am very disturbed that the L.A. Coroners [sic] office continues to release things to the media that are misleading." 

She continues, "The TMZ story with it's [sic] salacious headline suggesting that my prescious [sic] son-in-law Simon and I slept in bed together, infering [sic] sexual contact is journalism at its lowest." Sharon also denies there were medications in the house prescribed to a "Sharon Monjack," as the Coroner's report states.

For the record, our story made it clear the Coroner's report did not suggest sexual contact between Sharon and Simon.

A Coroner's Office spokesperson tells us, "Our report speaks for itself."

Brittany Murphy's mother told investigators that she shared a bed with her daughter's husband Simon Monjack after Brittany passed away ... this according to sources close to the investigation.


The L.A. Coroner's Office just released their report on Simon Monjack's death.

In the report, the investigator documents an exchange with a person whose name has been withheld -- but whom law enforcement sources have identified as Brittany's mother, Sharon Murphy.

According to the report, the investigator and the unnamed person (Sharon) were going through the master bedroom in the Hollywood Hills home that Simon shared with Brittany ... when (Sharon) pointed to one side of Simon's bed and identified it as "her side of the bed."

Sharon also told the investigator that certain prescriptions in the nightstand -- bearing the names Sharon Murphy and Sharon Monjack -- were also hers.

The report doesn't suggest sexual contact between the two.

The investigation into Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack's deaths is now being handled by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, TMZ has learned ... and it's all because of mold found in their home.


Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the issue of mold in the house came up early during the investigation into Brittany's death -- but it was deemed "not to be a contributing factor."

Then when Simon passed away a few months later, we're told the issue came up again -- but Brittany's mom, Sharon, wouldn't let the L.A. County Coroner's Office in to investigate the mold. Now, we're told, Sharon has agreed to let Public Health investigators into the home.

Mold could be relevant to Simon and Brittany's respiratory health. Pneumonia was a cause of death for both of them.

We're also told Simon's mother, Linda Monjack is fully supportive of this move, and will be flying from Europe so she can be close to the investigation.

UPDATE: A rep for Sharon tells TMZ, "I have never been personally asked by the Coroner or anyone from the Health Department to come and inspect my home for mold ... to the best of my knowledge there has been no evidence of mold at the Murphy residence."

TMZ has learned ... Brittany Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, died from acute pneumonia and severe anemia.


The L.A. County Coroner found prescription medications in Simon's blood stream but not enough to be lethal.

Ironically, Brittany died 5 months earlier of pneumonia, anemia and multiple drug intoxication.

We've learned Simon's family in England was advised of his cause of death earlier this morning by the L.A. County Coroner's Office.

UPDATE: Brittany's mom just released this statement:

“I am still in shock and mourning over the deaths of my daughter Brittany and son-in-law Simon. It is with great relief that Simon’s preliminary autopsy findings have been released, so the media speculations can stop… As I was sure of, just like my daughter Brittany there was no kind of drug overdose."

We took your questions today on everything -- including Sheriff's plans to investigate Oksana Grigorieva for extortion, Lindsay Lohan still getting her prescription meds in jail, and the similarities in the deaths of Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack.



Plus: Which Kardashian has the better booty -- Kim or Kourtney?

TMZ has learned law enforcement officials are investigating a mysterious clue in the Simon Monjack death case -- a curious voicemail that Simon left on his own cell phone.


Sources close to the case tell TMZ when investigators went through Simon's cell phone, they found a message in his voicemail box that was created on the day he died ... in which Simon can be heard saying, "I need to go to the hospital. I have a fever."

Later on the recording, Brittany's mother Sharon can be heard saying, "Tell them you have a ... fever." It's unclear who "them" is.

We're told investigators are unclear if Monjack pocket-dialed his own voicemail ... intentionally called his cell phone from another line .... or was so disoriented, that he accidentally dialed the wrong number in an attempt to call for help.

Monjack died on May 23 -- his cause of death has yet to be determined.