Court Denies Recovery Claim Based Exclusively on Computerized Data

The state of Missouri filed a claim against Joanna Strayer’s estate for reimbursement of $52,931.33 worth of Medicaid benefits it claimed to have paid on Ms. Strayer’s behalf. During the claim hearing, the state’s evidence consisted exclusively of ten pages of computerized data. The court held that the state failed to meet its burden of proof, finding that the computerized records were not sufficient evidence due to the speculative nature of the computer-generated numbers they contained. The state appealed the decision.

In In the Estate of Strayer v. State (Mo. Ct. App., No. WD 72707, April 19, 2011), the court affirmed the lower court’s ruling, finding that the ten pages of computerized records and the data they contained did not “constitute competent and substantial evidence of payment.”

In the Estate of Wright v. State( Mo. Ct. App., No. WD 72706, April 19, 2011), a similar case decided on the same day, resulted in a similar holding.

See Estate Recovery Claim Based Solely on Computerized Records Is Denied, ElderLawAnswers, May 2, 2011.