LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Gambling Problem Causes Suicide
Cumberland, PA: (Mar-25-08) Raymond and Genevieve Diehl of South Middleton Township., brought a lawsuit against the former Carlisle law firm of Michael J. Hanft, alleging that the Cumberland County lawyer engaged in a gambling related fraud before he killed himself. The Diehls claimed that Hanft borrowed more than $600,000 from them under false pretenses, and then gambled it away. Their suit sought to recover the $600,000 as well as about $300,000 in interest. Records show that Hanft, 40, of Dickinson Township, was being investigated by the district attorney's office over the possible misuse of mortgage funds for gambling.
The investigation began after Hanft shot himself on Aug. 11, 2004, in his vehicle behind a Penn Township municipal building. The Diehls filed suit in Cumberland County Court a month after Hanft's suicide, stating that Hanft began borrowing money from them in 1997. They claimed he told them that he needed loans to buy property and pursue a construction project. Hanft actually spent that money at casinos, the couple said, and repaid only $10,000.
Sources stated that the two sides reached a settlement, which is not being disclosed due to a confidentiality clause. Hanft's widow, Susan, stated that she wasn't aware of the scam and learned of it only after Hanft's death. She wasn't involved in the settlement because she had been removed as a defendant in the suit. [PENN LIVE: SETTLEMENT MADE IN LAWSUIT OVER GAMBLING FRAUD CLAIM]
Published on Mar-26-08
The investigation began after Hanft shot himself on Aug. 11, 2004, in his vehicle behind a Penn Township municipal building. The Diehls filed suit in Cumberland County Court a month after Hanft's suicide, stating that Hanft began borrowing money from them in 1997. They claimed he told them that he needed loans to buy property and pursue a construction project. Hanft actually spent that money at casinos, the couple said, and repaid only $10,000.
Sources stated that the two sides reached a settlement, which is not being disclosed due to a confidentiality clause. Hanft's widow, Susan, stated that she wasn't aware of the scam and learned of it only after Hanft's death. She wasn't involved in the settlement because she had been removed as a defendant in the suit. [
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