{"id":672438,"date":"2026-11-02T07:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T07:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/672438\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T07:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T07:16:14","slug":"judge-says-2-siblings-exploited-dementia-stricken-dad-now-their-brother-could-inherit-his-1b-fortune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/672438\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge says 2 siblings exploited dementia-stricken dad \u2014 now their brother could inherit his $1B fortune"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Judge<\/a> New Africa\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

At 82, Harlan Douglass couldn’t pay his own bills or make sense of numbers. Yet two of his children had him sign paperwork they’d drafted themselves, with terms he knew nothing about, a Spokane judge found. <\/p>\n

As a result, a court has tossed out the paperwork, and Harley \u2014 the son that Douglass’ altered will left with just $1,000 \u2014 could inherit an estimated $1 billion, the Spokesman-Review reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Must Read <\/p>\n

Harlan<\/a>, a Spokane real estate developer<\/a>, died Nov. 26, 2023, at 86, after dementia and Alzheimer’s disease took hold. On Oct. 26 of this this year, Spokane Superior Court Judge Jacquelyn High-Edward sided with his eldest son, who had challenged the will changes. She found that Harley’s younger siblings, Lanzce Douglass and Stacey Douglass Boies, unduly influenced their father. <\/p>\n

What the judge found <\/p>\n

The judge<\/a> tossed the promissory notes, which were payable to Lanzce, Stacey and their children that totaled $155 million. She also canceled the real estate transfers made out to the two siblings. In the end, the judge reinstated the version of the will that predates 2019, which divides his estate equally among his three kids. <\/p>\n

The altered version had given<\/a> Lanzce 65% and Stacey 35%. On the stand, the siblings said the shift followed their reconciliations with Harlan and balanced out what Harley had already received over the years, including an inheritance from their mother. <\/p>\n

Jason Burnett, Lanzce’s attorney, told<\/a> the Spokesman-Review that appeal plans aren’t settled. Moneywise reached out for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication. <\/p>\n

Why they could get nothing <\/p>\n

Washington law says<\/a> no “abuser shall in any way acquire any property or receive any benefit as the result of the death of the decedent.” The statute defines an abuser as someone who “takes part in the willful and unlawful financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult,” and a court must find this by “clear, cogent and convincing evidence.” <\/p>\n

Harley’s attorney, Steve Hassing, called<\/a> the ruling “a spectacular win” and says Harley will likely receive all of the money in the end. That depends on whether the judge decides that Lanzce and Stacey’s children can inherit under the earlier will. <\/p>\n

The $1 billion figure is also an estimate. At stake<\/a> are an estate worth about $600 million, a $350 million real estate portfolio and $155 million in promissory notes, the Spokesman-Review reported. <\/p>\n

Read More: Vanguard reveals what’s coming for U.S. stocks \u2014 and it’s raising alarm bells for older investors<\/a> <\/p>\n

A history of family fights <\/p>\n

Courts have now sided with Harley twice<\/a> over a disputed inheritance. After their mother, Maxine, died, her will was also altered to leave much of her estate to Lanzce and Stacey. Her 2008 will left 50% of her estate to Harley. <\/p>\n

In that case, witnesses said Harlan kept falling asleep as he signed the altered will. In 2023, Spokane County Superior Court Judge Raymond Clary ruled<\/a> that the scheme was “clear, convincing, and inescapable.” <\/p>\n

Also, in 2010, Harley sued<\/a> his siblings over a $685,000 settlement tied to a company the three ran together. <\/p>\n

How to protect an aging parent <\/p>\n

Families can’t always prevent a dispute like this, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) lists warning signs<\/a>, including when “someone pressures your loved one to make a financial decision, change a will, deed or trust or sign a document ‘now'” and when documents are signed after a person can no longer write. <\/p>\n

The agency says you don’t need proof before reporting suspected abuse to your state’s Adult Protective Services<\/a>. <\/p>\n

If you’re choosing someone to hold power of attorney, the CFPB says<\/a> it’s crucial that they’re someone you trust. It suggests consulting a lawyer and discussing the choice with other trusted friends or relatives. <\/p>\n

What To Read Next <\/p>\n

Get Warren Buffett’s best investing lessons, free. Join 250,000 readers getting Moneywise’s sharpest money reporting every week. Subscribe and we’ll send you our guide to the ideas that built Buffett’s fortune as a welcome gift.<\/a> <\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com<\/a> under the title: Judge says 2 siblings exploited dementia-stricken dad \u2014 now their brother could inherit his $1B fortune<\/a> <\/p>\n

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Africa\/Shutterstock At 82, Harlan Douglass couldn’t pay his own bills or make sense of numbers. Yet two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":672439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[4818,72,122,113,176,1941,61,1831,31173,1942,60,1407,12455,12883,174,175,13047,9115,1611,4755,1943,1944,131,31174,5066,31175],"class_list":["post-672438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-401k","tag-business","tag-business-news","tag-economy","tag-finance","tag-financial-information","tag-ie","tag-investing","tag-investment-tools","tag-investor","tag-ireland","tag-market-news","tag-mortgage","tag-mutual-funds","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-quote","tag-real-estate","tag-retirement","tag-stock","tag-stock-research","tag-stock-valuation","tag-stocks","tag-suze-orman","tag-tax","tag-track-portfolio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=672438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/672439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=672438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=672438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=672438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}