Wrongful Death Lawyer
I've got the title for a biopic about Wall Street's Bernard L. Madoff: Bleak End at Bernie's.
French aristocrat Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet killed himself after putting his family, friends and clients in a "catastrophic" financial situation by investing with Madoff, who was charged last month in a $50 billion securities-fraud scheme. De la Villehuchet was found in his Manhattan office two days before Christmas, his feet up on his desk and a trash can positioned nearby to catch the blood from his lacerated biceps and wrists.
De la Villehuchet, the chief executive officer of Access International Advisors L.L.C., believed he had lost all of about $1.4 billion he had invested with Madoff. "He felt responsible and he felt guilty," his brother said.
So de la Villehuchet took action. It was "a positive act of honor," his brother told Bloomberg News.
That might be a stretch. But it certainly demonstrates more accountability than Madoff, who is charged with putting his investors on this perilous path. Madoff posted $10 million bail and is confined to house arrest in his Park Avenue apartment.
Before his arrest, Madoff told his two sons he was "finished," his business insolvent and its founder left with "absolutely nothing," according to news accounts. After his arrest he told the FBI he was "broke." His scheme? "It could not go on," he explained to investigators.
I've been thinking about the different ways in which Madoff and de la Villehuchet handled their respective predicaments. And the lawyer in me has an idea.
I think de la Villehuchet's estate has a meritorious civil action against Madoff for wrongful death. At the least, a jury should consider whether Madoff is legally responsible for de la Villehuchet's death, even if Madoff has no assets.
Here is the legal foundation of the claim:
The scope of the alleged fraud made it likely, if not certain, that there would be many investors whose losses would be enormous. History tells us that investors who lose everything manifest a propensity toward suicide (either out of guilt or because they cannot bear to live in a world without opulence).