Elder Law

Onetime millionaire left destitute after guardianship litigation settles with law firm

There’s some good news to report about an elderly Arizona woman worth $1.3 million before she was left destitute by attorney, guardianship and companion care fees. Marie Long, 92, has reached a confidential settlement with a law firm that collected $230,000 in fees from her, according to an Arizona Republic…

Dec 19, 2013 7:57 PM CST

Estate planning lawyer gets 6 years in $46 million scheme preying on terminally ill

A Rhode Island estate planning lawyer who ran a $46 million scheme preying on the terminally ill—buying bonds and annuities in their names that would pay out upon their deaths—was sentenced today to six years in prison, the Associated Press reports. U.S. District Judge William E. Smith said the lawyer,…

Dec 16, 2013 8:45 PM CST

Crowdfunding sought to return elderly veteran to his apartment

A Korean War veteran who owns his co-op apartment can no longer live there because of needed repairs and unpaid fees, but a crowdfunding campaign could change his circumstances. Eighty-year-old Ralph Bolen, who has early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, is living in a care facility, but he would like to return to…

Dec 12, 2013 5:31 PM CST

DOMA’s demise brings new challenges

The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision U.S. v. Windsor on same-sex marriage is presenting some new challenges to law firms serving the gay community. A wave of aging LGBT baby boomers is stirring a sea of complex legal questions over nursing home care, inheritance and even potential guardianship abuses, thanks…

Dec 1, 2013 9:10 AM CST

$100M suit: Hospital housed heiress for decades, hid her from legal dept., to get more of her money

The legal battle isn’t over concerning the $300 million estate left by reclusive copper heiress Huguette Clark when she died in 2011 at age 104. A lawsuit filed Thursday by New York City’s public administrator’s office on behalf of her estate seeks $100 million from Beth Israel Medical Center and…

Nov 22, 2013 5:50 PM CST

Casey Kasem doesn’t need a conservator, judge rules; wife says she’s not a wicked stepmom

A Los Angeles judge has refused a bid to appoint a temporary conservator for radio personality Casey Kasem. Judge Lesley Green said on Tuesday that 81-year-old Kasem is receiving “good to excellent” medical care and he doesn’t need a conservator, report the Associated Press, CBSLA.com and People magazine. Kasem is…

Nov 21, 2013 4:45 PM CST

‘Granny cam’ law aimed at curbing nursing-home abuse takes effect in Oklahoma

Outcry over nursing-home abuse caught by a secret video has spurred Oklahoma to become the third state to pass a law explicitly allowing cameras in rooms of long-term care residents. The law passed after Doris Racher placed a secret, motion-activated camera in the room of her mother, 96-year-old Eryetha Mayberry,…

Nov 20, 2013 11:45 AM CST

Ex-judge gets 5 years of probation in theft from elderly neighbor

Initially, authorities accused a California judge of using a durable power of attorney to steal an elderly neighbor’s life savings of $1.6 milion or more, charging him with dozens of felony counts. However, former Alameda County Superior Court Judge Paul Seeman entered no-contest pleas in August to just two—perjury and…

Oct 21, 2013 6:55 PM CDT

Hospital sues to boot ‘belligerent’ patient from acute-care bed

A Connecticut hospital has filed a state-court lawsuit against a “belligerent” patient, contending that she refuses to comply with a discharge order and continues to occupy her acute-care bed at the facility. Margo Smith has been examined by the St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center’s psychiatry department and “deemed to…

Oct 18, 2013 7:10 PM CDT

Court fight over reclusive heiress Huguette Clark’s $300 million estate ends

A bitterly fought court battle over a reclusive heiress’ $300 million estate has been settled. Under the terms of the settlement, most of Huguette Clark’s estate will go to arts charities and distant relatives, the Associated Press and the Daily Mail report. The settlement, which has been filed in court,…

Sep 27, 2013 10:15 PM CDT

After serving just 60 days, Brooke Astor’s son to be paroled

Saying the 89-year-old son of socialite Brooke Astor is too frail and sick to be in prison, New York’s parole board decided Thursday to release the man. Anthony D. Marshall had served only 60 days of his one- to three-year sentence. The New York Times reports that the decision to…

Aug 22, 2013 9:50 PM CDT

Despite DOMA win, some same-sex couples see a tax-related downside; others get estate tax refunds

As the dust settles after a celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that a federal law restricting the rights of same-sex married couples is unconstitutional, some are now facing new tax issues. While the court’s decision to strike the Defense of Marriage Act is expected to result in hefty…

Jul 24, 2013 8:20 PM CDT

D.C. lawyer gets harsher penalty for lying in discipline hearings

A lawyer who convinced a District of Columbia bar discipline hearing committee that she was truthful about events from several years earlier had less credibility in a subsequent hearing by the Board on Professional Responsibility and ultimately, on Thursday, when the D.C. Court of Appeals upheld the Board. Stephanie Y.…

Jul 15, 2013 12:00 PM CDT

Son and lawyer of elderly heiress Brooke Astor are both headed to prison over $60M fraud

The son of heiress Brooke Astor and her former lawyer have exhausted their appeals in a $60 million fraud case concerning her estate and are headed to prison. The New York Daily News reports that state’s highest appellate court on Friday denied appeals by Anthony Marshall, the 88-year-old son of…

Jun 10, 2013 6:30 PM CDT

Docs filed in will contest over heiress’ $300M estate and ‘accountability of professionals’

As a September trial looms in a will contest over the $300 million estate of a copper heiress who died in 2011 at age 104, documents filed Wednesday in the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court case provide new details about the facts at issue. On March 7, 2005, Huguette Clark executed a…

May 30, 2013 9:02 PM CDT