My Daughter Sent Me On A Vacation To Florida To Help Me Grieve My Late Wife. While I Was Away, She Used A Fake Power Of Attorney To Steal $300,000 And Put My House On The Market. I Just Drove 26 Hours Straight Back To Denver And Let Myself Into My Own Home. You Won’t Believe Who I Found Waiting In My Living Room.

The Courtroom Showdown

The hearing on Monday was in a small courtroom in downtown Denver. Melissa showed up with her lawyer, a polished man in his 40s named Richard Strauss. She wouldn’t look at me. She sat at the defendant’s table twisting a tissue in her hands. Troy wasn’t there.

Judge Maria Gonzalez presided. She was in her 50s with reading glasses and a no-nonsense expression. She reviewed the file then looked at me.

“Mr. Hansen, you’re alleging that your daughter committed fraud and abused a power of attorney you granted her?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“And Miss Hansen, you’re arguing that you acted within the scope of the power of attorney in your father’s best interest?”

Richard Strauss stood. “Yes, your honor. My client is a licensed real estate professional. She recognized that her father was no longer able to maintain a substantial property while clearly transitioning to a more mobile lifestyle. The 6-month absence indicated he was no longer attached to the property. She acted to liquidate an asset that was becoming a burden.”

“A burden?” I couldn’t help myself. “It’s my home.”

The judge looked at me. “Mr. Hansen, you’ll have your chance. Help me understand the timeline. You granted this power of attorney in September?”

“September 12th, your honor. My daughter told me it was standard procedure for extended travel.”

“And you departed for Florida on October 15th?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“And the home equity line of credit was opened on November 3rd while you were in Florida?”

“Yes, your honor. And that’s the problem. The bank’s documents show a notary seal and my signature, but I never signed those documents. I was in Florida.”

The judge frowned and looked at the evidence Patricia had submitted. “Miss Hansen, can you explain this?”

Melissa’s lawyer whispered urgently to her. She shook her head. He whispered again. Finally, Melissa stood.

“My father…” she started. “He signed the documents before he left for Florida. The notary made an error with the date.”

“An error?” The judge’s eyebrows went up. “You’re telling me the notary dated the documents 3 weeks after they were signed?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“That’s a lie,” I said. “Your honor, I never signed those documents. I never authorized a home equity line of credit. I never authorized the transfer of my house to an LLC. My daughter forged my signature.”

“That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Hansen.” The judge looked at Melissa. “Miss Hansen, did you sign these documents on your father’s behalf?”

Melissa looked at her lawyer. I could see it in her face: the guilt, the fear, the realization that she’d been caught.

“I… I was trying to help him,” she said, her voice breaking. “The house is too much for him. He’s alone there. He’s getting older. I thought… I thought if I could sell it, I could use the money to set him up in a nice assisted living facility near me where he’d be safe.”

“I don’t need assisted living,” I said, louder than I meant to. “I’m 63 years old. I’m healthy. I have a community. That house is my home and you had no right to take it from me.”

The judge held up her hand. “Everyone calm down. Miss Hansen, did your father authorize you to forge his signature on the home equity line of credit application?”

“No, your honor.”

“Did he authorize you to transfer ownership of his house to an LLC?”

“Not… Not explicitly. But the power of attorney gave me the authority.”

“A power of attorney gives you authority to act on someone’s behalf, not to act against their interests, and certainly not to commit forgery and fraud.” The judge looked at the documents again. “Where’s the $300,000 from the home equity line?”

Richard Strauss stood quickly. “Your honor, that’s not relevant.”

“It’s absolutely relevant. $300,000 was withdrawn from a line of credit on Mr. Hansen’s property using forged documents. Where is that money?”

Melissa started crying. “Troy… my boyfriend… he had gambling debts. Serious gambling debts. The kind where people show up at your door threatening you. He owed $280,000 to a loan shark. I thought if I could just use some of Dad’s equity to pay off the debt, we could pay him back when the house sold. He was going to get over $600,000 after the sale. He wouldn’t have even missed it.”

The courtroom went silent. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. This was never about what was best for me. This was about Troy’s gambling addiction, about Melissa trying to save her boyfriend from loan sharks with my money, with my home.

The judge took off her glasses. “Miss Hansen, you understand that what you’re describing is fraud, forgery, and theft?”

“I was going to pay him back,” Melissa sobbed. “I swear I was going to pay him back with his own money, from his own house.”

The judge shook her head. “Mr. Hansen, I’m granting your injunction. The sale of the house is stopped immediately. The power of attorney is revoked. The property transfer to KBT Holdings is voided.”

She looked at Melissa with disgust. “Miss Hansen, you’re ordered to return all funds obtained from the home equity line of credit within 30 days or face criminal charges. If your father chooses to press charges for fraud and forgery, that’s his right. We’re adjourned.”

The Confrontation

I sat there as the courtroom emptied, feeling numb. Melissa tried to approach me, but Patricia stepped between us.

“Don’t,” Patricia said. “You’ve done enough.”

“Daddy, please,” Melissa said, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry. I was desperate. Troy’s debt… They were threatening to hurt him. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You could have asked me for help,” I said quietly. “You could have told me the truth. Instead, you shipped me off to Florida so you could steal my home.”

“I wasn’t stealing it.”

“Liar.” The word came out harder than I meant to. “You were going to sell my house, pay off your boyfriend’s gambling debts, and stick me in some facility somewhere. You thought I’d never find out until it was too late.”

“That’s not true.”

“Get out. I don’t want to see you right now.”

Melissa stood there for a moment, then turned and left.

The next 3 weeks were a nightmare of legal paperwork. The home equity line of credit was declared fraudulent and cancelled. The bank took a loss, but they didn’t pursue it against me since I could prove I never authorized it. The sale fell through.

Melissa had 30 days to return the $300,000. She couldn’t. Troy had already used $280,000 to pay off his gambling debts. The other $20,000 was gone on rent and lawyer fees.

That’s when Troy showed up at my house.