Notify Law Enforcement for a Trust Matter?

Riverside trust and probate litigation attorney Scott Grossman discusses the usefulness (or lack thereof) of calling the police when your Riverside trust matter is not being handled fairly by the trustee.

It seems to be common sense:  if my trustee is withholding my rightful inheritance, isn’t that stealing, and shouldn’t law enforcement charge that person with a crime?

In practicality, unless you are able to clearly demonstrate that the trustee took a large amount of money and ran off with it, law enforcement is probably going to be reluctant to step in.  In all but the most extreme cases, these are matters for a trust litigation case in probate court, rather than a criminal complaint forwarded to a district attorney or city attorney by local police or sheriff’s departments.

That is not to say that you should not call the police if you believe a crime has occurred.  By all means, notify them.  There are serious matters such as financial elder abuse that should be reported to the police.

If, however, you are in the more common situation where the trustee has negligently invested trust assets so money was lost, or is refusing to share information, or dragging his feet in bringing the trust to a close, then you need to take matters into your own hands  by having your attorney take action in probate court.

If you are in one of the situations described in this video, time is not on your side.  The sooner you act, you can preserve and protect your rights and learn all of your options.  Contact our office at (888)443-6590 to schedule a free consultation or to request your copy of Riverside trust and litigation attorney Scott Grossman’s newest book, The Ultimate Guide to California Trust and Probate Litigation (available fall 2012.)