Community Chat

[hyacinth003]

I have posted before about my husband's father's estate. My husband's oldest brother had been acting alone as a trustee, but his youngest brother was named as a co-trustee.

The oldest brother excluded the other until the youngest got a lawyer. They were moving to have him removed as a trustee. I believe he would have been if it got that far. Younger brother then agreed via his attorney to try to work it out and not spend estate money for attorney fees. Personally, I think it might have been money well spent!

Oldest brother then had to turn out all the documents he was asked for. He had to turn over all bank and credit card statements. As I had told them, he was using the credit cards for his own purposes, then using his father's bank account to pay the credit card bills. He was using his father's funds up to $25,000 for his own. He has held up the sale of his father's house, as he kept saying he wanted to buy it but could not yet get a loan. No money has been disbursed to any beneficiary, despite rental proceeds on the house and money in the bank accounts. He owes the estate $20,000 that he hasn't paid in almost a year his dad has been gone.

He tried to lowball (ie cheat) his youngest brother by only offering about half what the house would have been worth. We just got an independent appraisal (by attorney order) that shows the value of the house to be MUCH higher than oldest brother was willing to give. We are now waiting a decision on oldest brother's getting a loan to buy the house now that the appraisal is in.

The attorney said oldest brother has done wrong at every turn. I had told my husband that, and it was a less than popular opinion until recently. Someone with legal authority has said everything I did. Oldest brother has lost more than half his family over this, but I don't think he really cares - only getting away with his cheating matters to him.

I am really sorry to be right, because it has broken up the family. But I don't regret exposing a person who is doing his father wrong.

Hyacinth