The exploitation of 96-year-old veteran Louis Russo by his court-appointed conservator has supporters and advocates calling for reform of how Connecticut probate courts appoint conservators. Russo was appointed a conservator that he did not know because he did not have any family that could care for him. The conservator put Russo in a nursing home instead of a veterans home, which incurred additional cost, spent his life savings and Social Security, and rented out Russo’s home without permission. Russo now has a new conservator that is working to get Russo back in his home. Advocates are calling for reform to the court-appointed conservator system, including monitoring systems, training for conservators, and requirements such as social work experience
See Rob Ryser, WWII Veteran’s Plight Brings Call for Probate Court Reform, Connecticut Post, Oct. 25, 2014.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
