ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Court-Appointed Fiduciaries May Abuse Their Trust
Stories of Embezzlement, Fraud and Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Court-appointed conservators and other fiduciaries (such as guardians or trustees) don’t always protect the persons they’re appointed to protect. Increasingly, we hear of court-appointed fiduciaries embezzling or otherwise betraying the interests of their wards. In one recent account, a court-appointed fiduciary stole over $130,000 from a cognitively impaired senior and ran up big expenses, including $2500 in limousine services for herself in a single month![1]
If a senior loved one needs a court-appointed conservator, you also need a lawyer who can help you achieve an effective conservatorship and protect the senior from such abuse. The California and Marin County probate and financial elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. have that experience. We represent seniors and other dependent adults needing conservatorships or other court-appointed fiduciaries to manage personal or trust affairs and we know how to monitor those conservatorships or trusts to ensure they work in the dependent adult’s best interests. If you or a loved one need that kind of help, call us today at (415)441-8669.
Court supervision doesn’t always deter unscrupulous fiduciaries from committing wrongful acts. Conservators may disguise their theft in cash withdrawals, bury inappropriate expenses in lengthy accountings, or overcharge for services. The misdeeds are not always easy to catch. Our lawyers know how to examine accountings and financial records and know when an outside forensic accountant may be required to untangle book entries, withdrawals and time charges. If a court-appointed fiduciary breaches his or her duty, we can help you bring them to justice. In financial elder abuse cases, the injured senior may be entitle to an award of attorneys’ fees and costs for bringing their action.
Contact Us
Our experience is broad: we can help you and your family petition for conservatorships where advisable or litigate against any fiduciary who has breached his or her obligations. If you or a loved one has been a victim of a breach of fiduciary duty by a trustee in Marin County or elsewhere in California or, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other Evans Law Firm probate, trusts and financial elder abuse attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our attorneys have experience with complex securities cases, arbitrations, and mediations; and complicated financial contracts and large insurance companies. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We also handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, other types of qui tam and whistleblower cases, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
