ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER

Financial Elder Abuse: A Widespread Fraud

National Awareness And The Case Of Brooke Astor

Ten years ago, the grandson of wealthy philanthropist Brooke Astor found his grandmother living in squalor, isolated from her friends, malnourished, neglected, and low on money and help. She was 100 years old, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and sleeping on a couch in a cold apartment. Who reduced her to living in such a sad and lonely way at the end of a happy and prosperous life? Her own son, Anthony Marshall.

National Attention

Philip Marshall, her grandson and Mr. Marshall’s elder son, notified the authorities and enlisted the help of his grandmother’s powerful friends like David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, and Annette de la Renta. Anthony Marshall’s nationally televised trial ended in criminal convictions on numerous counts of financial elder abuse and theft. He died years ago but his son Philip became a strong, national advocate for the elderly after what happened to his grandmother. To this day, he continues to be a voice against financial elder abuse, and the financial industry is listening.

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Financial Industry Joins The Fight

A recent article in Investor’s Business Daily examines the efforts of large banks and brokerage firms to keep an eye on seniors’ accounts. Banks and brokerages can monitor unusual activity or movements of money in seniors’ accounts. And not just for the wealthy. New awareness programs train tellers and others on the front lines how to spot financial elder abuse for all customers. We encourage you to read more about what the industry is trying to do. For your own loved ones, learn the telltale signs of financial elder abuse: isolation, undue influence by strangers, missing records, loose ATM and credit cards, new bank accounts, and the like. The best protection begins at home by those who care the most.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one has been the victim of financial elder abuse in Marin County or in any California county, contact the Evans Law Firm elder attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. Our attorneys have experience with complex financial contracts and large insurance companies. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, qui tam and whistleblower law, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.