Trust beneficiary disputes occur for a host of reasons. And, whatever the reason, it seems that Bay Area trust beneficiary disputes often involve who gets the family home.
It's little wonder. Bay Area median house prices are astounding. Median means "in the middle." So, with regard to Bay Area house prices, the median price in any one particular county means that half of the homes listed are above this price and half are below.
Okay. So, what is the 2019 median house price for some of the Bay Area's most populous counties?
- Santa Clara County - $1.07 million.
- Contra Costa - $565,000.
- Alameda - $767,750.
- San Mateo - $1.33 million; and
- San Francisco - $1.3 million.
We are trust, estate and elder financial abuse litigators. We don't get pulled into cases where all is well - the family home is evenly divided among siblings.
We see the cases where one sibling got a parent to change the trust - often at the parent's deathbed - to exclude all siblings but one. We look at a set of circumstances to see if there is probable cause to mount a trust, estate and/or elder financial abuse challenge.
Real estate is a tried and true method of building wealth in America. It is unfortunate but true that a number of Bay Area homeowners are targeted by undue influencers - family, caregivers - maybe neighbors - to change their long-held estate plans to benefit someone taking advantage of the homeowner's vulnerability.
Hackard Law takes these cases seriously. My book, The Wolf at the Door: Undue Influence and Elder Financial Abuse includes stories of such abuse and tips for avoiding it.
If you are a Bay Area trust beneficiary who is abused because someone took advantage of your parent - essentially took their house - and you want to talk about, it call us at 916-313-3030.
Hackard Law takes significant cases where we think that we can make a substantial difference and there is a wrongdoer who can be made financially accountable for their wrongdoing.
Our key venues in disputed trust house cases are San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and Sacramento Counties. We'll be glad to listen to your story.