Who gets the settlement when a parent sues on child's behalf?

Question

Who gets the settlement when a parent sues on child's behalf?
My mother sued on my behalf (won) and never told me! A relative (father's side) tracked me down to tell me 14 years ago my mother filed a lawsuit, against a bank, on my behalf (pertaining to a trust fund left to me by my father's side of the family). I was 18 years old 14 years ago!

At some point wasn't my signature needed? Isn't a signature required by both parties for a joint account? She has a 3 ring binder filled with checks that have her name and my name....a joint account? I never signed a thing. Can she do this legally? What should I do?

Answer 1

In many states, you can force your mother to give an accounting of what happened to the money. This would be done through the Probate, Surrogate's, or Orphans Court. The money is yours, and it should not be used to pay what she as a parent is legally obligated to pay for you.

I don't have enough information to really go into detail as I do not know what state this occurred in. There are differences in state laws. I also do not know how the bank accounts were titled -- it would really depend on the signature cards that were signed.

Talk to a lawyer. A good lawyer should be able to get to the bottom of this quickly. This is something that is best left to a professional to resolve. In orther words, your mother is going to "blow you off" unless you use a professional.

Answer 2

Usually a settlement reached in a child's name is placed into a special account and has someone governing it...(most times not a parent) see if there was a law firm handling it..what she did was check fraud and forgery...it is criminal. you really need a lawyer to check statutes of limitation and what would be the best way to proceed..good luck and sorry to hear you have a mother like that.

Answer 3

enable's wish so... your plan is dumb. you will blow by the money in a 365 days and have no longer something to educate for it. purchase a house ... and if song is your hobby, construct a funds studio interior it and artwork your way up. Heck in basic terms making youtube movies and develop a following and conserving the money in an untouched low value expenditures account is a stronger plan. and that i will say it lower back... purchase a house. that's the very superb time to purchase.

Answer 4

When you were a minor she could, but when you reached 18 the money was your's, she is a rip off crook, if there is anything left, get it now and then file charges on her and sue to get the money back.