Some States Seek to Tighten Medicaid for Nursing Home Care

Some states facing tight budgets are proposing cuts in Medicaid reimbursements for nursing home care, while others are trying new ways to get reimbursement from the estates of people who used the program for their long-term care. Some states are considering cuts to Medicaid payments for routine dental care in…

Apr 3, 2012 6:41 PM CDT

Daughter Asks Court to Appoint Conservator for Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor

A daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor has asked a Los Angeles judge to appoint a conservator to be sure that the best interests of her elderly mother are being looked after. In a petition filed today, Francesca Hilton questions how her mother’s ninth husband, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, is handling…

Mar 20, 2012 10:07 PM CDT

Insurance Agent Gets Jail Time for Selling Annuity to Elderly Woman; He Denies Recognizing Dementia

Updated: A California insurance agent has been convicted of felony theft and sentenced to jail for selling an annuity with an early withdrawal penalty to an elderly woman, despite, prosecutors say, her apparent dementia. The agent, Glenn Neasham, was sentenced to 90 days in jail last month in a case…

Mar 20, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Aging Lawyers Often Lack the Business and Estate Planning They Urge on Clients

Lawyers routinely advise clients to develop an estate plan. Yet they themselves often call to mind the “shoemaker’s children go barefoot” proverb, Pennsylvania Bar Association law practice management coordinator Ellen Freedman tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She recalls a situation in which an older attorney who ran his own law office…

Mar 19, 2012 4:23 PM CDT

Man v. Mom: Son Seeks to Evict His Mother, 98, From Her Home of Nearly 60 Years

Peter Kantorowski says he’s just trying to do the right thing for his elderly mother, who surely would be better off living with him or in a nursing home. But a Connecticut court is going to decide the issue at a trial next month, after he served her with eviction…

Feb 21, 2012 9:37 PM CST

Retired Cops and Firefighters in RI Town Accept Pension Cuts in Bankruptcy Deal

A lawyer representing retired police and firefighters in Central Falls, R.I., says his clients have agreed to steep pension cuts in a groundbreaking bankruptcy deal. The agreement is subject to approval of the bankruptcy court, report the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). Lawyer Matthew McGowan,…

Dec 20, 2011 5:46 PM CST

Death Is a Growth Industry for Hospices; Lawsuits Detail Incentives for Referrals

Hospice care has become a $14 billion industry that is profiting in part because of financial arrangements and gifts that encourage referrals. Bloomberg Business examined court records and interviewed more than 45 hospice employees, patients and family members to detail the financial incentives that are helping make hospice care a…

Dec 19, 2011 4:22 PM CST

Theft Trial of Ex-Quarles & Brady Partner Begins re $370K in Checks From Elderly Client

A former partner of Quarles & Brady is on trial for theft, accused of accepting $370,000 in checks from an elderly client in 2003 and 2004 who was not competent to handle her own financial affairs. Jeffrey Elverman, 52, would have had to be working 30 hours per week for…

Dec 13, 2011 2:30 PM CST

Genius for the Generations: Elder Justice Lawyer Awarded MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’

Dec 1, 2011 10:20 AM CST

Retired BigLaw Attorneys Embrace New Clients in People-Oriented Public Service Jobs

When he left Dickstein Shapiro in 2004, James Springer was a top antitrust lawyer. Now, working part-time for the D.C. Legal Aid Society, the 77-year-old attorney handles benefits claims. Working on Social Security claims is every bit as complex as his former practice area, he tells the National Law Journal.…

Oct 24, 2011 8:00 PM CDT

Top NY Court Strikes Rules Limiting Lawyer Access to Assisted-Living Facility Residents

Rules intended to protect residents of assisted living facilities from overreaching attorneys went too far in limiting lawyer access to their clients at these facilities, the top New York appeals court held yesterday. In a 5-2 ruling, the Court of Appeals said policies concerning attorneys drafted by the nonprofit New…

Oct 22, 2011 1:50 AM CDT

ABA Urges Congress to Bolster Legal Services Provisions in Older Americans Act

Oct 1, 2011 6:20 AM CDT

Former Justice Department Lawyer Who Advocates for Elderly Wins Genius Grant

Marie-Therese Connolly was prosecuting civil fraud cases for the U.S. Justice Department in the late 1990s when the Clinton administration reacted to reports of nursing home abuses by creating the Elder Justice and Nursing Home Initiative. Connolly headed the DOJ program, and continued her focus on elder abuse after she…

Sep 20, 2011 11:27 AM CDT

Defendant Lawyer Calls His Own Attorney Unprepared in Criminal Court Spat and Says He Prays for Him

A Pennsylvania lawyer charged with stealing nearly $200,000 from an elderly widow is looking for a new attorney after a criminal courtroom spat yesterday in which he publicly called his own attorney unprepared and not up to the job of defending him. The contentious hearing in front of Allegheny Common…

Sep 15, 2011 9:35 PM CDT

Heiress Huguette Clark’s Will Leaves $500K to Her Lawyer

A wealthy heiress who died last month in New York at age 104 left $500,000 of her estimated $400 million fortune to her attorney of 15 years in the will he drafted for her six years ago. Huguette Clark also left $500,000 to her accountant, Reuters reported. She had no…

Jun 23, 2011 6:32 PM CDT