My family and I own about $500,000 in  real estate  mostly in one
large apartment house  that pays a nice income for us but no way are
we rich people just hard working and now in our late 60's and ready to
retire. We have worked all our lives to pay off this real estate.

PROBLEM #1----My family and I did own a very old (100 years)historical
building i was going to redo into apartments and it fell down and
collapsed all by accident and no one was hurt or killed. Its in a
historical part of town but not on the national registor of historic
places. We had insurance--builders risk for $300,000 but the insurance
company wont pay and wont give a reason. Yes i have a lawyer, a small
town one, and hes moving very slow and im not happy with the results
but there is no one else here i can turn to and we are too far into
the case to turn back. (dont tell me to get another lawyer
please)---------So i need additional help in how to get this insurance
company to pay up and pay up now our legal bills are mounting and were
desperate. We want the insurance company  to pay us what they legally
owe us. Please dont tell me to buy certain books etc i need real help
and need it now.

PROBLEM #2. The city i live in now wants to bring in there own
construction crews and do a shore up, clean up and stabilization
program to save the building. Its 3/4 totally demolished and aint
worth 2 cents. They estimate the cost of doing it will be over
$500,000 (the building cost $100,000) and if i dont come up with the
money to pay for it there going to put a lein on all my real estate
and take all of my familys property thru a tax lein. They wont buy it
from me or give me a nickel its sort of a new and improved form of
emminent domain only without the owner getting compensated. Im
fighting them in court but its very hard going up against a
municipality and it seems to be a loosing battle. An idea on how i can
stop the city or save what i have. I have seen some asset protection
lawyers but they dont give me much hope saying that asset protection
after the fact wont help much cause the courts can make me pay up if
the city wins there case. I need some help here and qucik we go to a
hearing in a few weeks. The have a hired gun strutional engineer that
has a 20 page report on why it makes sense to fix up a building that
cost less then $100,000 and spend $500,000 of money i dont have. I
hate to loose it all at this age.

Finish knocking it down on a weekend?

To finish knocking it down is unlikely to save your money you hoped to
have for retirement. Perhaps your best course of action is to tell
your story at Rotory Clubs, Chamber of Commerice, VFW, TV and radio
talk shows, etc., and keep contacting government officials, especially
the State insurance Commissioner, until your plight is well know by
nearly everyone. You should be polite, but firm, when your lawyer
advises you against going on your own. Lawyer, boo-hiss.  Neil

Niel has a great idea about publicity.  People will rally behind you
if your story is as you have said...  no one likes to see a
hardworking family lose everything to a bad government decision.

Go to the local paper... if you can get on the front page then you'll
get plenty of attention to your case.

Why is it that in our society we only get results if people feel they
are under the scrutiny of the public/press?

Gorrilla-
The quick answer is that people less frequently do things "just
because it's the right thing to do"... there are many reasons for
that, my favorite is that in most cases a reputation means much less
than it used to.

Hi John,

Even if after the event, and perhaps at a lesser cost, could you
transfer all property to a new family trust with a new company as
trustee for the purpose of further asset protection? I am unsure of
your local laws, but please do ask both your accountant and lawyer the
question. If successful, this may significantly reduce your personal
input.