Valle Egypt, Paperback/Kristin Hetzer

Valle Egypt is a provocative story of financial elder abuse and the demise of a sixty-year family farm. Valle Egypt is a case study that affords readers the opportunity to better understand the serious consequences of financial elder abuse while providing an increased awareness of how to mitigate this escalating problem. Using a personal family story as a vehicle for learning, the author presents readers with a preparatory tool kit, which includes educational components such as fiduciary duty, mental capacity, legal trusts and estate planning. The story presents a legal case, calling attention to the mental capacity of an aged parent, undue influence by children, and breach of fiduciary duty by the trustees. Illustrative of how unethical business practices may impact untold generations to follow, this case study highlights how financial elder abuse, perpetrated by a family member, was aided by a lawyer employed by a prestigious law firm.