Investigations on Inheritance and Successions: Get What You Deserve
Do you suspect the inheritance has been emptied? We will reconstruct the hidden assets, current accounts and simulated donations to protect your legitimate share
Inheritance proceedings are often a critical moment, where the pain of loss is compounded by complex property disputes. Heirs who hide assets, dubious wills or 'suspicious' donations made during the deceased's lifetime can seriously harm your rights as a legitimate heir.
The Civil Code protects the closest relatives (spouse and children), but the law is useless if the real assets of the deceased are not known. Arcadia Company intervenes to reconstruct the entire inheritance, providing the necessary evidence to reinstate your legitimate share.
Why do you need a private investigator for inheritance matters?
Often, those who managed the deceased's estate in the last years of life (a cohabiting relative, a caregiver or a partner) has managed to misappropriate large sums before the opening of the succession. Simple property searches are not enough. A thorough investigation is required to:
- Reconstruct the true inheritance line: Not only what has been declared, but what has been hidden.
- Check donations during lifetime: Often simulated as fake sales to deplete the estate to the detriment of other heirs.
- Verify the validity of the will: Check if it was written under duress or if the signature is forged.
Asset Investigations: What We Can Uncover About Hidden Inheritance
The investigation moves on multiple levels to map the economic history of the deceased and recover the 'stolen'.
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Search for Heirs and Hidden Assets
We locate all legitimate heirs. Additionally, we investigate valuable movable assets (cars, boats, artworks) or real estate held in trust that should be part of the estate.
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Check Will
If you have doubts about the authenticity of a 'suddenly found' will, our expert graphologists can examine the will to confirm the signature, the actual date and the absence of any manipulations.
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Violation of Legitimate Rights and Reduction Action
We document all gifts (direct or indirect donations) made during life that have impoverished the estate. These proofs are fundamental for your lawyer to exercise the Action of Reduction (Art. 553 of the Civil Code) and 'reclaim' those assets in the inheritance.
Case Studies
Case Study: Asset Investigations for Inheritance and Successions: Recovery of the Inheritance
Sector: Inheritance Law and Asset Investigations | Location: Milan Province
Sector: | Location:
1. The Problem (Suspected Hiding of Assets and Violation of Legitimate Rights)
A client approached our agency to initiate some investigations into inheritance and successions following the disappearance of the parent. The client, as the legitimate heir, suspected that a brother had taken advantage of the deceased's vulnerability in the last years of life to withdraw liquidity and transfer properties to his own benefit. The goal was to uncover theconcealment of assets and prove the violation of the legitimate share in order to recover what was rightfully theirs.
2. Investigative Strategy (Financial and Asset Reconstruction)
We have set up a complex document and financial investigation aimed at full reconstruction of the family tree prior to death, operating in full compliance with privacy regulations and defensive investigations.
- Trace Bank Accounts and Investments: In-depth analysis to identify bank accounts, life insurance policies, safe deposit boxes and shares linked to the deceased, even if jointly held or recently closed.
- Real Estate Investigations and Historical Searches: Check property transfers and notarial deeds to identify any potential hidden donations or fake sales transactions in favour of other heirs or nominees.
- Corporate Analysis: Monitoring of corporate holdings and unusual capital outflows from family businesses to personal accounts of the suspected co-heir.
3. Results and Evidence Collected
The activity of our experts in asset investigations has uncovered a systematic depletion of the deceased's estate, providing irrefutable evidence:
- An undeclared foreign bank account was discovered during the succession process, into which substantial sums of money had been transferred by the parent in the last two years of their life.
- Historical searches have shown that a prestigious villa was transferred to the brother through a fake sale, masking a real indirect donation that did not involve any real transfer of money.
- There has been documented misappropriation of valuable movable property (paintings and jewellery) previously kept in a jointly held safety deposit box, which was emptied immediately after death.
4. Legal Conclusion (Reduction and Reinstatement Action)
The client and his civil lawyer have received a Certified Investigation Dossiercontaining all necessary banking, cadastral, and evidentiary documentation to take legal action.
- Outcome: Thanks to the evidence collected by our private investigation agencythe lawyer was able to file an urgent motion, obtaining the conservatory seizure of the stolen assets.
- Finding: During mandatory mediation, faced with overwhelming evidence of appropriation and fake sale, the other party immediately accepted a settlement agreement. The client obtained full reinstatement of the legitimaterecovering the full economic value of your inheritance share without having to face years of civil litigation.
How we reconstruct the truth about your assets
A forensic and investigative analysis to leave nothing to chance.
Document Analysis
We examine the available official documentation (will, declaration of succession) to identify the first inconsistencies.
Asset Tracing (Asset Tracking)
Through OSINT and financial investigations, we map all properties, corporate holdings and vehicles linked to the deceased, including those held through intermediaries.
Verify Financial Flows
We investigate suspicious bank movements that occurred in the years before death, often disguised as 'expenses' but actually hidden donations.
Report for the Court
We deliver a comprehensive dossier proving the existence of the misappropriated assets. This document serves as a solid foundation for any legal action to recover debts or contest the will.
Doubts about wills and hidden assets
Answers on assets, appraisals and costs.
Can I find out if my father had any other assets?
Yes. As an heir, you have the right to know the situation, but often you don't know who to ask. Our investigation is precisely designed to identify all the assets owned by the deceased.
The will seems fake, what can I do?
If you suspect that the signature is not authentic or that the will was written under duress, we can perform a comparative handwriting analysis. If the result confirms the forgery, you will have the technical evidence to challenge the will in court (action for forgery).
What happens to the money withdrawn from the joint account shortly before death?
If a co-signatory (e.g., another child or a caregiver) has emptied the account before death without justification, these sums must be returned to the estate. Our investigations document these anomalous movements to support the recovery action.
How much does an inheritance investigation cost?
The cost varies greatly depending on the complexity (number of assets, national or international investigations). Arcadia Company offers a free quote after a preliminary case analysis to define a sustainable and targeted strategy.
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Office in Milan, Operating throughout Italy
Our private investigation agency is strategically located in Sesto San Giovanni, in the province of Milan. From here, we coordinate investigations throughout the national territory, ensuring a swift and direct response in the main provinces of Lombardy and Northern Italy.
