Complaint Review: Wheeler And Nielsen - Sacramento California

My Godmother passed away and left me as successor trustee to a living trust that I had no idea she set up. The attorneys who put it together were located in Southern California when I contacted them for distribution information they suggested that I read it and figure it out for myself as it would cost $175 per hour plus travel for them to assist me with the details.

I called a meeting with beneficiaries who were immediately money minded and began to make demands and get angry when the primary focus before distribution was taking care of the expenses that were left behind. One of the beneficiaries hired a lawyer who was pressuring me to turn the trust over, so I consulted an attorney closer to home. The attorney I hired requestd a detailed description of every transaction performed by me which I provided, I also provided an itemized expense sheet, and documented each and every call, along with mail, paid bills and other expensed met by me from my own finances.

The attorney agreed to take my case and defend me, this attorney said I did no wrong, but I needed to provide a retainer of $5,000 up front which I didn't have at the time so I consulted with another attorney further away (Terry Wheeler) to whom I provided the same information this attorney somehow concluded that I was not fit to handle the trust, when I inquired why, and informed him of the comments from the other firm the statement to me was they were only trying to take my money and could not possibly defend me, the other response I would receive was it was just better to turn it over. The attorney's I hired would never give me a valid reason why I needed to turn over the trust to the other attorney representing the other party.

They only told me it was better to hand it over and admitted to ongoing conversations with the other attorney and they both agreed to turn it over would be a more desireable move than to allow me to continue to handle it.

So I did, the beneficiary that hired the other attorney initially wrote checks and distributed funds but it was short lived as the attorney later took over the account completely.

I have requested again and again to get an accounting and never have received any correspondance from Dale Sasake regarding it. Dale Sasaki in San Jose avoids the subject and avoids me, the attorneys I hired Terry Wheeler treated me like old news, they said my business with them was finished and they could not answer any questions nor could I ask for any assistance unless I paid them to start a new case.

The amount of the trust was cash valued over $230,000 after the sale of the home that occured just before it was signed over by me. This amount was supposed to be distributed nine ways amongst the beneficiaries and I have not seen any of it, nor heard from the attorney as to an accounting, and never received any updates regarding the trust. In fact I am still receiving mail for my godmother and have forwarded to Sasaki's office to put in a change of address which has not been done as it is still arriving to my home and this was over a year ago!!

I truly believe they have taken the money and are running!!

I would never ever recommend anyone do business with Terri Wheeler, Sacramento or Dale Sasaki, San Jose.

Kelley

Suisun City, California
U.S.A.