Woodbridge Liquidation Trust

Woodbridge Liquidation Trust

The Woodbridge Liquidation Trust was formed in December 2017 following the bankruptcy of Woodbridge Group of Companies, a Sherman Oaks, California-based real estate investment firm that raised over $1.2 billion from roughly 8,400 retail investors (per SEC, 2018). The firm's founder, Robert H. Shapiro, was convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme through investments in commercial real estate and mortgage loans. The trust, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, was established under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to maximize recoveries for creditors. Under trustee Robert S. Laufer, the trust's mandate is to liquidate remaining real estate holdings — including commercial properties and development land — and pursue litigation against third parties that enabled the fraud. Key assets include interests in properties across multiple states, with recoveries partly dependent on ongoing legal proceedings (per court filings, 2020). The trust does not make new investments; its activity is purely administrative and focused on asset disposition. The trust has no disclosed team size, AUM, or advisory board. It operates as a passive liquidating entity with no investment staff or new capital commitments. Recent court filings indicate continued asset sales and litigation against professional firms and former insiders (per U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida, 2025). The Woodbridge Liquidation Trust differs structurally from a typical family office in that it is not managing ongoing wealth but winding down a failed enterprise. Its purpose is creditor recovery, not wealth preservation or growth. The trust has no succession plan or investment strategy — it is designed to terminate upon full asset distribution.