Harry Gross: Bank, lawyers need scrutiny

Posted: June 13, 2011

Dear Harry: My granddaughter was involved in a serious accident in 2000.

She was awarded a lot of money in an out-of-court settlement. The money was put into a trust fund with a large bank which was giving her an "allowance" every month.

When she reached 21, she asked for larger amounts and was rebuffed. The bank said that they turned over the money to some lawyers, not to her original lawyer.

The lawyers are saying that the only money they got was $30,000. We know that many, many times that was in the last report we got from the bank a few years ago.

Her lawyer refuses to get involved with this. Where do we go from here to get her the money?

What Harry says: It appears to me that two "culprits" are involved here, so we have to go after both.

I hope you still have the last statement you got from the bank. Demand that they give her a full accounting of what happened from that time until they made a distribution to the lawyers.

If you're satisfied with that, you need to go after the lawyers. The Philadelphia Bar Association is not happy with lawyers who aren't straight with their clients' funds. You can reach the association at 215-238-6300. If the bank drags its feet, notify the Department of Banking, at 1-800-PABANKS. The money did not disappear into thin air.

Write Harry Gross c/o the Daily News, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19130. Harry urges all his readers to give blood: Contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-Red Cross.

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