Trial of Court-Appointed Guardian Set to Begin
In the early 2000s, Mr. Jones was appointed to be theguardian for a Mr. Roy L. This person suffered a severe injury that caused himto become incapacitated. Mr. Roy L received a large wrongful life settlement inthe amount of $684,700. As his guardian, Mr. Jones decided to purchase a houseand retrofit the building to suit Mr. Roy L’s needs; however, he acted withoutthe court’s approval. In fact, he would not receive the court’s approval until19 months after the fact. While the house was being retrofitted, Mr. Jones hadhis ward and his mother Ms. Elaine DeJesus stay in the basement apartment of abuilding that belonged to one of his business associates. Even though Mr. Jones was given a rentallotment for $300 per month, Mr. Jones’ business associatecharged them about $1,200 per month. It took two years before Mr. Roy L. couldmove into his unfinished home. The improvements were not completed at the time that Mr. Jones was removed from his position.
The civil court on this case held that Mr. Jones’ actionswere equivalent to self-dealing. In addition, the court stated that his actions were often conducted at the expense of Mr. Roy L.The court ordered that he pay Mr. Roy L’s estate $501,425.67.
See Charisma L.Miller, Esq., Former Court-Appointed Guardian Charged With Grand Larceny,Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 2012.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorneyat Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to myattention.