Estate looting/probate abuse finds an active news cycle

The estate looting world certainly seems active these days.  Guess uncertainty during these turbulent economic times enhances the certainty for others that asset looting is a viable, though purely evil, means by which to acquire wealth.

Let’s look at a few of our new stories.  Here in Texas, a father has filed a civil suit against his son who is already charged with murdering the man’s elderly father, the son’s grandfather, as a means of recovering property acquired by the son from the grandfather through alleged use of undue influence.

Investigations of Huguette Clark’s life and estate status continue to expand as her lawyer is alleged to have received millions of dollars in gifts and today it’s reported (who knows how it was obtained?) that the “next of kin” contacts listed on her medical report don’t exist!  As someone we love dearly would say — sketchy!!!

It was with trepidation that we posted a “fluff” piece put out by the San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency extolling the virtues of their Public Administrator/Public Guardian’s office.  While we acknowledge that instances likely exist in which these offices sometimes provide an important public service, the pages of EoD are increasingly filled with stories of public administrators performing perhaps not so ethically.  In fact, shortly after finding the San Diego piece, we came across an update on Rita Hunter, a former Missouri public administrator, with all sorts of legal problems connected with alleged abuse of her office.

Then shortly thereafter once more, our sights returned to California with two highly intriguing pieces about Todd Spitzer, an individual until recently viewed as a contender to be Orange County’s next top prosecutor.  Instead, he has now been terminated, per Spitzer, “saying he was improperly fired from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office over a routine phone call to the Public Guardian’s Office to check into the status of a case.”

In knowing the corruption associated with California guardianships/conservatorships and other probate venues, it was not surprising that within minutes of publishing the Spitzer articles, the following comment appeared:

This is the tip of the ice berg. Seniors are running for cover. Members of the Public Guardian’s staff have threatened to undo living trusts and powers of attorney to gain control over the property of retirees. Apparently, Williams only cares about seniors who have estates worth something.

Sounds like Involuntary Redistribution of Assets (IRA) actions are at least one economic activity (sadly) thriving in California!  We will be watching this situation with interest and especially invite any of our California readers to weigh in.

Liliane Bettencourt, the L’Oréal heiress, has written out of her will the photographer accused of abusing her trust.  Likely a good thing.  Meanwhile, Pamela Carvel, niece to the late Tom and Agnes Carvel, has been barred from bringing additional litigation against the Carvel estate based including further assertions that either she was heir to the estate or that her uncle was murdered to cover up a multimillion-dollar embezzlement.  We’ll withhold comment on this one as the circumstances around Carvel’s death raise interesting questions.