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My cousin has POA. I told his attorney that made the trust that all this money is missing and that I wanted the paperwork to support transactions!! What are my legal rights in this case. I asked for paperwork last April and now it's almost September and nothing! He died last December....how long will this process take??

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You need your own attorney. It's not hard for lots of money to be spent in the last few years of life. If he was in a nursing home, he could have easily been paying $10,000 a month. Probate can take a year. If you retain an atty, professional courtesy, one atty to another, will probably get you a pretty accurate timeline.
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It's not clear that you have any rights. Are you named in the will?
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windyridge...why would i care about how much money he had if i wasn't in the will?
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Because your parents were in the will. ;)
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My uncle did not pay a lot of money to live in senior living. He was given a two months to live diagnosis...and did die in two months with the care of hospice and some very inexpensive caretakers that worked for the facility.
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maggiemarshall...why did you say my parents were in the will? I didn't write that?
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You asked Windy why you'd care if you weren't in the will. My answer was you might care if your FOLKS were in the will. You worded your initial post a bit unclear when you said he left "our family money."
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You asked (a) what your legal rights are, and (b) how long would the process take.

In order to answer those questions, more information is needed. That's why questions were asked, in an attempt to respond to your post.
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Who have EXPERIENCED this situation......You're welcome....
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So, you wouldn't want someone with legal expertise to answer your question, just someone who has been in the situation? Just clarifying.
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If he had home care before entering assisted living then it would have been very costly...

Was another family member caregiving for him?
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You mentioned two documents in your question: a Power of Attorney and a Trust.

The authority (power) in a Power of Attorney ends upon the death of the principal (your uncle). The person your uncle named as his agent in the POA had no authority to engage in transactions after the death of your uncle. A Power of Attorney document should have a clause that lists who has the right to demand that the Agent (attorney-in-fact) provide an accounting of the principal's funds and transactions.

Was the Trust that you mentioned established by your uncle during his lifetime (inter vivos), or was it a Testamentary Trust that was created by his will?

An inter vivos trust should have instructions listing who has the right to demand information from the Trustee. State law also has default rules that can help family members hold a Trustee accountable.

If the Trust came into existence after death, through terms of your Uncle's will, the Probate Court will already have jurisdiction over proceedings. State law and the instructions written into the Testamentary Trust can provide ways to enforce accountability from a Trustee.

An attorney working to protect your interests can advise you on the POA and Trust clauses, and state Probate and Trust laws that apply to the circumstances.
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Life - the good folks on this forum are trying to help you.......

Whomever was named executor in the will is in charge and at whatever time frame they deem necessary within state laws. Like for example, TX probate allows 4 years from when Letters presented (within 1st year) and all validated and determination made as to type of probate. You were not named executor nor agent, so not your call.

You want it different, then you hire your own probate attorney to litigate on your behalf as a named heir & I'd say maybe 3K as a initial retainer and then somewhere $250/$500 hr after a certain point in all this.

As someone who has been an executor twice, I have found that family is often clueless on the reality of their supposed "well off" family. Often the elder bluffs or implies there is $ when there's not any $, so to keep family sucking up to them. Or the elder has $ as income when they are alive, so family thinks they are well off, but once they die that income stops and all those debts which they paid minimally when alive now all come due against the estate. Executor has to wait out to see just what claims are out there and negotiate or pay before heirs get a penny.

$ 150 large isn't really very much $ if they had costs for care to pay.
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garden artist...not sure why you assume things...my question was very clear??? please don't contact me again.
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Perhaps you should (a) look up the definition of "assumption", and (b) examine your approach to getting advice.

With your attitude, you'll be lucky if anyone even bothers to respond to your posts.
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Hi John...I don't think that I mentioned Power of Attorney on this post...this is another situation. but thanks...
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dear igloo...he had no outstanding debts at time of death. he paid everything as soon as he got the statement. i'm glad that $150 thous isn't a lot for you? that last statement pretty much said that I should "eat" the loss and move on. guess that's not much to you...but the question REALLY is ... THEFT of property...doesn't matter how much it is???!!
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Life, You mentioned that your cousin had POA; that's why John made reference to POA in his answer.

You are making an assumption that what your uncle told you about his financial circumstances was true. That he knew how much was being spent on his care.

My mom is 92 and has vascular dementia. My brother, who has POA, has never divulged to her that her care is costing her $15,000 per month. We routinely tell her that "it's all insurance mom, you and dad had great insurance ". This is why we think that your uncle may not have given you an accurate accounting of his funds if he did so when he was close to death. Or, if he told you, say a year before he died, $150,000 could have gotten spent in a couple of months.

John, who is one this forum's legal experts, has given you a nuanced and specific answer to your question. I think you should follow the advice, or private message him with followups.
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lifeexperiences, good luck in finding an attorney to help you who had the exact same personal experience.
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life, agree with babalou; my dad's grandson just kept insisting he had more money than I, who had access to his accounts, knew that he had; he just wanted to believe dad had it hidden somewhere; well, good luck finding it them, suppose anything's possible, but as far as records - they could be shown and what it would have shown in his case was they he got it all to begin with; he just didn't want to believe he'd gotten that much because he didn't get it all at one time, which is what he was wanting; well, can't have it both ways; what he'd really thought was that what he'd been getting had been coming out of his income not his savings, not thinking about the fact that granddad had slowly not been working and having the income, like he had been having - duh, so...you sure he still had it and something untoward happened to it?
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these responses give me a good laugh!! not getting any valid info...but it is a joke!
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thanks debdaughter...first time i got a response who went thru this.
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Oh sorry John...legal advisor...i was getting little tired of the responses...and forgot that there was more detail about the POA!
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Anyway...my uncle was as sharp as a blade mentally!! The only problem he had is that he could no longer read his statements because he had lost most of his vision! So of course, the POA could do anything she wanted while she was POA. Maybe I should ask, how is her spending monitored if he can't see?? Please you guys out there that have not experienced this...move on! lil
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life, somewhat same thing here; part of why grandson was gradually able to have more to do with dad's money, because dad gradually got glaucoma worse and worse so he couldn't see, wasn't looking at statements to see what was being done; however, dad had put me on his checking account as soon as mom died, not him, so the bank really looked out for him - would they not have done that for your uncle, even if he did have her as POA? that still doesn't give them carte blanche to do just whatever they want
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debdaughter... I was an Executor on the Trust...but my cousin was rushing my uncle into hospice...I told her how I felt about her doing that...and the great manipulator that she is...probably taking money for years...she told him that I should apologize or she wouldn't work with me...NOPE, I did not apologize...and I was taken off as executor. I've never been politically correct! ugh but thanks...we do have that in common!
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Does a POA(S) have to account for ALL remaining monies left in an inheritance. What happens when some $ and some items are unaccounted for - for example, the sale of a luxury vehicle. Where did those fund go? The POAs for my mom are not the most honest! And at what point in time do you find out what was written in the will, when there is not going to be a reading of the will? Does the attorney who wrote the will know what is going on after the death?
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hi heartbroken3...as you have read some of the responses....really no good answers!! anyway...it seems that these POA's don't have to account for all money! It's a very slippery slope and not even sure if you hire an attorney he could find the money or asset trail...no responses on that. anyway...i did a unclaimed funds check in the 3 states he lived in after all money from trust was distributed and found another $20 thousand that my cousin did not claim! found out that my cousin used his checking acct to make purchases even after his death!! my uncle's attorney did not seem alarmed!? wish i had the money to have this question answered by an attorney or someone who went thru this and knows!! gooood luck
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What is the average cost to hire an attorney to investigate misappropriation of funds by a POA of an incapacitated adult (in this case, my mom). The POA managed to clean take out over $150,000 in the short span of 5 months from one of my mom's accounts and sell off all of her possessions - non of which was necessary to benefit her well being. Do I even have a chance on winning a case such as this?
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heartbroken3, my cousin did come up with $360 but other than the $20 grand i found...i know she spent a lot! there is nothing i can do about it...but glad we got that much back! i don't know how much it would cost you to get an attorney, but im sure it would be a lot!!! i knew i couldn't go to a lawyer because this money that she turned over was distributed to many family members so it not have been worth it to me to have to pay thousands of dollars and not know if he would come up with something? i had problems with my youngest brother in my immediate family, he stole my father's trust and POA over my mother!! yes, he eventually changed the trust, but could not sign for my mother because she has dementia!! my father did drop my brother from his side of the will, which helped a lot....but i was freeeeaaaking out because i care for my parents and all household needs myself!!! one of my brothers live here and that bum does nothing!! nothing but heartache...but that god i PERSISTED before it was to late...but it sure took a toll on my. wish i could help! post if something new comes up.
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