Best-selling author hits her financial advisers with lawsuit over $40M in losses

Patricia Cornwell, the author of several best-selling crime novels, is going after her financial advisers in an attempt to recover $40 million she has lost, according to multiple published reports.
OCT 23, 2009
By  Bloomberg
Patricia Cornwell, the author of several best-selling crime novels, is going after her financial advisers in an attempt to recover $40 million she has lost, according to multiple published reports. Ms. Cornwell, who has penned titles such as “The Book of the Dead” and “Trade: A Scarpetta Novel,” filed a lawsuit this week in Boston federal court claiming that accountants and financial advisers at Anchin Block & Anchin LLP mishandled her fortune. According to a report in The Baltimore Sun, she makes more than $10 million a year. The firm, according to one report, allegedly used Ms. Cornwell's money to purchase goods and services from important clients. The suit also claimed that one of the firm's advisers directed $5,000 from her account to give his daughter a bat mitzvah gift.

Latest News

FINRA suspends Centaurus broker who piled clients into REITS, BDCs
FINRA suspends Centaurus broker who piled clients into REITS, BDCs

Most firms place a limit on advisors’ sales of alternative investments to clients in the neighborhood of 10% a customer’s net worth.

Advisor moves: LPL Financial, Osaic, Raymond James all welcome new teams
Advisor moves: LPL Financial, Osaic, Raymond James all welcome new teams

Those jumping ship include women advisors and breakaways.

Mariner announces an acquisition double, adding $1.7B to its AUA
Mariner announces an acquisition double, adding $1.7B to its AUA

Firms in New York and Arizona are the latest additions to the mega-RIA.

Michigan insurance agent to stand trial after charges of insurance fraud
Michigan insurance agent to stand trial after charges of insurance fraud

The agent, Todd Bernstein, 67, has been charged with four counts of insurance fraud linked to allegedly switching clients from one set of annuities to another.

NY Appeals court tosses $500M civil fraud penalty against Trump; upholds injunctive relief
NY Appeals court tosses $500M civil fraud penalty against Trump; upholds injunctive relief

“While harm certainly occurred, it was not the cataclysmic harm that can justify a nearly half billion-dollar award to the State,” Justice Peter Moulton wrote, while Trump will face limits in his ability to do business in New York.

SPONSORED How advisors can build for high-net-worth complexity

Orion's Tom Wilson on delivering coordinated, high-touch service in a world where returns alone no longer set you apart.

SPONSORED RILAs bring stability, growth during volatile markets

Barely a decade old, registered index-linked annuities have quickly surged in popularity, thanks to their unique blend of protection and growth potential—an appealing option for investors looking to chart a steadier course through today's choppy market waters, says Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial.