Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Your San Diego County probably has an Elder Abuse Unit, as part of the District Attorney's office or maybe the Dept of Aging. I suggest contacting these. It sounds like you have already spoken to the District Atty's office. That office should be able to refer you to another agency or to a non-profit legal aid organization that might pursue this on widow's behalf. Be careful of organizations with names that sound like they offer legal aid to low income persons. some of these are staffed by document preparers. you will want a qualified attorney to actively pursue this.

San Diego county does have an elder abuse section in the District Attorney�s office. Unfortunately, as you found out, the DA�s office, as well as other agencies, do have budget problems that prevent them from handling all of the elder abuse matters. Because of that, they have had to prioritize their cases, usually handling those situations that involve physical abuse first. Financial elder abuse cases aren�t always given their due consideration but the affects can be just as devastating as any other form of elder abuse.

I agree with Ms. Avrutin that the District Attorney�s office should be able to refer you to another agency, if they aren�t able to assist you.

Another possibility is the San Diego County Bar Association: https://www.sdcba.org/index.cfm?pg=mainlris

They have an attorney referral service and may be able to match you with low cost legal services. Here is their web page that deals with elder law and elder abuse: https://www.sdcba.org/index.cfm?pg=Elderlaw.

I do handle elder abuse cases. But, I understand that you do not have a lot of money to file a civil lawsuit against the husband�s daughter. As you know, these types of actions can be very expensive. But, you could also start with a demand letter sent by an attorney. They are sometimes effective and inexpensive. If you need more information or have any questions, please email me at: [email protected] .