Gamblers & Addiction | Triggers for Trust & Estate Disputes

Compulsive gambling is a problem for the gambler and his or her loved ones. Gamblers Anonymous members believe that:

“Compulsive gambling is an illness, progressive in its nature, which can never be cured, but can be arrested…The Gamblers Anonymous concept is that compulsive gamblers are really very sick people who can recover if they follow to the best of their ability a simple program that has proved successful for thousands of other men and women with a gambling or compulsive gambling problem.”

Compulsive gamblers may present a variety of issues in trust & estate litigation. A trustee who is a compulsive gambler may find it hard to satisfy their fiduciary duties. Settlors of trusts might disinherit a child because of their compulsive gambling proclivities. Disinheritance may ignite estate fights. The Gamblers Anonymous website recites some characteristics of a compulsive gambler, among them:

• Inability and Unwillingness to accept reality;
• Emotional insecurity;
• Immaturity;
• The desire to be a “big shot” and feel all powerful;
• And sometimes the subconscious desire to punish themselves.

Compulsive gamblers’ denial of reality can produce some very strange results. Ponzi schemes; elder financial abuse; estate thefts; unlawful asset transfers; and disinheritance are some offshoots from compulsive gambling.

There are scores of reasons for estate & trust litigation – compulsive gambling is just one of them. If you would like to talk with Hackard Law about your case, call us today at 916-313-3030. We represent clients in significant cases throughout California’s major urban areas, including Sacramento, San Jose, Alameda, Los Angeles and San Diego. The simple truth is that beneficiary rights must be protected – so let’s get to work for a better outcome.