“Good. Because we’re finding you a lawyer tomorrow.”
He held me that night. I didn’t cry. I’d cried enough. Now I needed to be sharp. Wednesday, December 17th, 10 in the morning. Charlotte Price’s office was downtown. Small firm, three attorneys. Her website said specializing in trust litigation, breach of fiduciary duty, and estate disputes. She was 52, gray hair in a bun, sharp eyes, warm smile. She read everything, took notes, asked questions.
“How much do you still owe in student loans?”
“52,000.”
“And they spent 150,000 of your money on your sister’s education.”
“Yes.”
“Nancy, this is textbook breach of fiduciary duty. Under Iowa law, custodians of UTMA accounts have a legal obligation to use funds for the named beneficiary only. They can’t reallocate to other children. That’s theft.”
“What are my options?”
“We send a demand letter, request full accounting and restitution. If they refuse, we file a civil suit. You’d be entitled to the original 150,000 plus interest plus your legal fees, possibly punitive damages.”
“How long would that take?”
“If they settle quickly, two to three months. If they fight, it could be a year.”
“Send the letter.”
Charlotte started drafting that afternoon. I called Uncle George that evening.
“Uncle George, I need to tell you something about Dad and the trust Grandma left me.”
“Finally. I’ve been waiting years for you to figure it out.”
“You knew?”
“Your dad told me in 2009 he was reallocating Rose’s money for both girls. I told him that was wrong, that it was yours. We didn’t speak for two years after that.”
“Will you tell that to my attorney?”
“I’ll tell it to a judge if you need me to.”
Thursday, December 18th, I visited Father Timothy at the church.
“Nancy Austin. I haven’t seen you since your wedding. Congratulations.”
“Father, I need to ask you about my grandmother, Rose.”
“Wonderful woman. I miss her.”
“Did she ever talk to you about favoritism in our family?”
He sighed.
“She did. She was worried about you. Said your mother had always preferred Madison, and it wasn’t fair. That’s why she set up that education fund specifically for you. She made me a witness when she signed the trust documents. She wanted to make sure you’d be protected.”
“They spent it on Madison.”
“I was afraid of that.”
By December 20th, Charlotte had written affidavits from both Uncle George and Father Timothy. The evidence pile was growing. December 23rd, 2025, Charlotte sent the demand letter. Crawford and Price Legal. Re: Breach of fiduciary duty, UTMA account for Nancy Austin. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Austin: This firm represents your daughter, Nancy Austin, regarding the misappropriation of funds from the custodial education account established for her benefit by Rose Mitchell in 1999. Our client has documentation proving that you, as custodians, withdrew the entire $150,000 balance between 2008 to 2014 for expenses unrelated to Nancy’s education, specifically for your other daughter, Madison’s private school tuition and study-abroad programs. This constitutes breach of fiduciary duty under Iowa Code Chapter 565B. Demand: full restitution, $150,000. Interest, 2008 to 2025, $38,000. Student loan interest paid by Nancy, $34,400. Legal fees. Total: $222,400. You have 14 days to respond. Failure to respond will result in civil litigation. The letter was sent certified mail and email. Three days later, my phone rang. Mom calling. I answered.
“How could you do this to your own family?”
“Hi, Mom.”
“We could lose our house, Nancy. Is that what you want? Your parents homeless?”
“I want the money Grandma left me. The money you stole.”
“We didn’t steal anything. We used it for education. Madison’s education counts.”
“It had my name on it.”
“Family resources are family resources. You’re being selfish after everything we’ve done for you.”
“What have you done
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