BC Estate Lawyer-Dysfunctional Families- Toxic Parents

Vancouver lawyer Trevor Todd has 50 years experience in understanding and getting justice for parties disinherited from dysfunctional and often toxic  families. I am fond of saying that it is extremely easy to become a parent, but very difficult to be a good one. Many children are simply not wanted, and many parents are incapable […]

Dysfunctional Families

Dysfunctional Families Dysfunctional Family Personality Disorders in Estate Litigation One of the most common fact patterns in estate litigation involves a parent(s) with a personality disorder. We all know… At a Glance The Doctrine of “Clean Hands” In an action for fraud and misrepresentation Wang v Wang… Recognizing Personality Disorder My experience is that many […]

Sibling Rivalry in Dysfunctional Families and Estate Litigation

Dysfunctional Families: Sibling Rivalry

In estate litigation, what euphemistically might be called “sibling rivalry” but in a dysfunctional family, often in reality borders on sibling hatred and jealousies. In some species, fortunately not humans, the firstborn is known to deliberately kill the second born. Sibling rivalry can happen in any family, but is particularly common in dysfunctional families when […]

Dysfunctional Families: Cultural Differences

Dysfunctional Families: Cultural Differences

I was in mediation last week with a Southeast Asian family where I represented four daughters in an inheritance dispute against their two brothers. The sole asset in the estate was a proximally 75 acres of farmland, upon which all of the siblings had worked since early childhood doing hard manual labor. In addition to […]

4 Unhealthy Roles Created in Dysfunctional Families

4 Unhealthy Roles Created in Dysfunctional Families

It is well-established that dysfunctional families create some very unhealthy roles for its participants. It is beyond doubt that early childhood trauma and its wounding effects are carried well into adulthood for the remainder of one’s life. I venture to say that most “street people” are there as a result of being  the victims of […]