Annuity payments stopped

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

My grandmother died in Nov. 2005. In June 2006 my aunt sent me a letter stating that my grandmother had left me a $10,000.00. The letter also stated that it was an annuity trust account and I was to receive $53.80 a month for my lifetime. I asked my aunt if I can receive it all at once and she said no, I asked for $100.00 a month, she agreed to that until the 10,000 was paid. My brother happened to be able to get his money in one lump sum, but my aunt said she cannot do that for me. I recently didn't receive my checks 2 month in a row, so I e-mailed my aunt to tell her, (she is the executor), and again I asked to be paid the balance now, her reply to me was , my grandmother didn't want me to have anything and she was trying to do what was right but she is not going to pay me anymore payments, she is done. My sister never received any payments and she got the same letter I did re: the 10,000.00 gift. My aunt said neither one of us will get anything more. Is there anything that I can do about this?

If your checks came directly to you from the annuity company, you should have a company name and address or phone number where you can contact the company yourself and ask them about this. Have your date of birth and Social Security Number ready, and the name of the decedent who funded the original annuity. Hopefully they will be able to tell you why the account was cancelled or exactly what happened.

If they are evasive, you will need to get a business law attorney to help you get your money back and decide whether you need to bring a lawsuit against aunt or have your attorney send her a threatening letter to correct her actions and get you paid or she will be sued. It looks like she has incorrectly or fraudulently cashed the annuity in, perhaps to get a lump sum herself, but she can't do that if there were previously designated beneficiaries, unless there is a complication that hasn't yet been explained.