False Accusations | Part and Parcel of Elder Financial Abuse

False accusers should be held accountable for their actions when they commit elder financial abuse and hurt innocent people. So when a child of an elder alienates his mother or father against his siblings who are fellow beneficiaries, and as a result there is elder financial abuse, the false accuser is responsible for the harm.

Now let me tell you the story of what often happens in Sacramento, Alameda or Los Angeles financial abuse cases.

An elderly parent is vulnerable to the undue influence of someone close – in many cases a child – one of two or more siblings. The parent may lack capacity or may simply be sick, disabled, injured, or aged. The parent may lack education, with impaired mental abilities, have emotional distress or be dependent on others for the necessities of life. The elder’s vulnerability may also be occasioned by alcoholism or substance abuse.

A child arrives on the scene or may have been on the scene for many years. Many times the child is alcoholic or has substance abuse. Often the child is not working and has not worked in years. The child lives with his parent.

The child has siblings, many times more geographically distant from the parent than the live-in child. Whether through deliberate design or blind greed, the child begins alienating his parents from his siblings.

Signs of the alienation include the promotion of anger against other siblings and speaking badly or criticizing other siblings directly to the parent. The abuser may hold himself out as the only child that cares for and loves the elder. The abuser may also put it into the elder’s mind that his siblings want to steal from the elder.

The parent is susceptible to the badmouthing that the abuser is heaping upon his siblings. The siblings are given no chance to debunk the false accusations because they may not know that they are happening, and even if they know, they are never allowed any time alone with their parent to discuss their concerns. The parent may simply be brainwashed.

The more geographically distant siblings may be prevented from visiting with their parent by the abuser. Contact information, including emails and phone numbers, is not provided to the innocent siblings, or all communications are cut off by the wrongdoer’s refusal to allow communication. This is a setup that allows the abuser to claim that his siblings don’t care about the parent and won’t call or visit.

Life is turned upside down for the innocent siblings. They find it hard to deter the false accuser. Fake allegations can have devastating consequences for the family. There is estrangement. Upon the death of the elder it is not uncommon that it takes weeks for the innocent siblings to learn of the death. Funerals and memorial services often occur without them.

Let’s face it – false accusations destroy lives.

If you or your loved ones have lost your inheritance because of false accusations by the real abuser, you may have significant rights in California’s probate and civil courts. Elder financial abusers use false allegations and brainwashing to cheat trust beneficiaries and estate heirs from their rightful inheritance. If you would like to speak with us about your rights, call us at Hackard Law: (916) 313-3030. We can talk about how we might be able to help you.