Rooney and His Conservator File Second Elder Abuse Claim Against Rooney’s Family

In February, a judge appointed attorney Michael R. Augustine asMickey Rooney’s conservator after Rooney’s attorneys filed an elder abuse complaint on Rooney’s behalf. Last week, Augustine and Rooney filed another elder abuse complaint against Rooney’s stepson, Christopher Aber, and daughter-in-law, Christina Aber. The complaint alleges that, for ten years, the couple verbally and financially abused the 90 year old Rooney.

The complaint asserts that the Abers regularly withheld medication and food from Rooney and used Rooney’s finances to benefit themselves. Rooney’s attorney, Vivian L. Thoreen, said:

Clearly fame does not insulate an individual from the trauma and neglect of elder abuse, as Mickey Rooney’s case vividly demonstrates. Mickey was exploited by a close relative in whom he placed his trust and looked to for guidance. If a person of Mickey Rooney’s stature and profile can be victimized, there are untold numbers of less fortunate seniors who are similarly being abused in this country.

See Mickey Rooney, Conservator File 2d Elder Abuse Claim Against His Kin, CBS Los Angeles, Sep. 15, 2011.

Special thanks to David S. Luber (Attorney at law, Florida Probate Attorney Wills and Estates Law Firm) for bringing this article to my attention.