By MICHAEL D. KAYDOUH, Virginiadivorcelawyer.com
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October 29, 2019
For most of you who know what a power of attorney is, it is a document whereby a designated individual such as a son or daughter or other relative is invested with control of an elderly individual's decision making ability concerning their assets. Unfortunately this kind of document is a GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY and can be abused by the recipient. There was recently a case where a daughter actually changed her parents wills leaving all their assets to herself and her brother. The disinherited relatives sued and lost and the trial Court Judge actually awarded attorney fees against them in the amount of $650,000 !!!! The attorney fees issue is currently under appeal. These documents should always be in the hands of the attorney who drafted them and a arrangement should be set up in advance if anyone is going to use them or the power of attorney should be specifically worded for limited purposes to avoid this kind of tragedy. It is not enough to have documents drawn up, it is essential that you remain in regular touch with your attorney so as to review matters with your children etc. iF SOMEONE IS TRYING TO PRESSURE TO SIGN A DOCUMENT OF THIS NATURE THAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND CALL Mr. Kaydouh 703-790-5080