Saturday, March 29, 2008

Florida's Probate Mill

In 1995, the St. Petersburg Times won a Pulitzer Prize for an editorial investigation called Final Indignities. This powerful four-part series exposed flaws in Florida’s probate system and detailed ways in which estates are mishandled by lawyers and executors.

In 2008, there does not seem to be much, if any improvement in the probate system throughout the United States.

Final Indignities by Jeffrey Good, staff writer:

1. Broken Promises
Floridians should be able to face death trusting the legal system to carry out their last wishes. But we found that, too often, the trust is broken.

2. Broken Trusts
You've heard the sales pitch: Living trusts are the best way to escape the "horrors of probate." Simply sign a trust and, after you die, every dime of your estate will automatically pass to chosen friends, family and charities. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Too bad it's a lie.

3. Forgotten Victims
After seeing lawyers plunder their inheritances, victims of estate rip-offs suffer again when the legal system leaves them empty-handed.

4. The Road to Reform
An 86-year-old man left a gift for his family, only to have it stolen. A crowd of senior citizens sought guidance on living trusts, only to be hoodwinked. The heirs of looted estates heard promises of repayment, only to be forgotten.

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