Fleischman
Fleischman v. Law Office of Paul Stanton CA2/8
Opinion
Opinion
Rubin, J.
FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS
1. Fleischman Family History and Events Leading to Don Fleischman’s Hiring of Attorney Paul Stanton
Joan and Art Fleischman, who married in 1952, were the parents of Don Fleischman and his brother, Dan Fleischman. (Because of the shared surname of the Fleischman family participants in these proceedings, we will identify them by their given names.) In addition to rearing Don and Dan, Joan and Art raised Joan’s son, Ken Kaplan, from her first marriage to Ken’s late father, who died decades ago. During Art and Joan’s marriage, Art prospered in the janitorial supply business. Over the years, he and Joan acquired multiple pieces of commercial and residential real estate, consisting of: a warehouse on Third Street in downtown Los Angeles; a warehouse on Garey Street in downtown Los Angeles; a warehouse in Vernon; a home in La Cañada; and a condominium in Pasadena. In the early 1990’s, Dan took control of the personal and financial affairs of his mother Joan, whose cognitive abilities were declining. In 1997, Joan, who by this time was living apart from her husband, Art, drafted a will and created an inter vivos trust naming Dan trustee with a power of…