CASES
LITIGATION SUPPORT
Names and locations have been changed to protect the innocent, as well as the not so innocent.
Elder Abuse
Morris Hastings, residing in England, was the nephew of Christopher Hastings of California, recently deceased. He discovered Paul Edwards, his uncle's young companion, had been left in control of Mr. Hastings' substantial estate. Morris suspected that his uncle's best interests may not have been served during the end of his life, and that Edwards may not be acting in the best interests of the beneficiaries. He believed the elder Mr. Hastings had been in some way coerced to leave his assets to Paul, and engaged us to uncover the truth.
The client requested that we obtain as much information as possible about Edwards. We found evidence that Edwards, in his youth, had been a male escort. He had been associated with numerous residences. After Mr. Hastings died, Edwards made several political contributions, set up two charities, and purchased four properties, including a house later transferred to one of the caregivers.
The client also requested that we conduct limited checks of the caregivers Edwards hired to attend Mr. Hastings, Jesus Ramirez and Felix Zapata, who may not have been qualified for this position. He believed Edwards may not have appropriately screened these individuals before hiring them.
Although we had limited information about these individuals, we found Ramirez was a registered sex offender in California; his victims were minors. We also found he had been involved in a dozen criminal and civil matters. Neither had any credentials that qualified them as caregivers, though it appears that Ramirez had dropped out of a nursing programme. Zapata co-owned a landscaping company with Edwards.
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