Forensic Accounting in Trust Disputes
Coral Hansen, CPA, ABV, CFF, CFE - Managing Director at Pivot
When a trust is challenged, the dispute often turns on the numbers: whether assets were properly valued, accounted for, and distributed, and whether a trustee’s actions held up to fiduciary standards. This presentation explores how forensic accountants trace funds, reconstruct incomplete records, identify self-dealing or mismanagement, and quantify damages in trust litigation. Attendees will gain practical insight into when to bring in a forensic accountant, what the process involves, and how financial findings are presented to support settlement or testimony in court.
Coral Hansen is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 35 years of experience across both public accounting and private industry. She works closely with clients and legal counsel on complex business disputes, helping investigate, evaluate and quantify economic damages and fraud. Over the course of her career, she has served as a financial advisor to unsecured creditors' committees and debtors and has performed hundreds of analyses involving fraud investigations, family law, trust and estate law, accounting malpractice, contract disputes, business valuation, shareholder and partnership matters and account tracing. She also has expereince as an expert witness testifying in litigation.
