Monday, October 13, 2008

Elder Abuse or Slavery

Murray Feingold is old enough to retire. He has been a Postal worker for over forty years. He holds a full time position earning approximately $50,000 a year, in addition to working extensive overtime.

Murray was happy for all those years until he was introduced to the judicial system in 2000. The landlord of the building he had been living in for the prior ten years refused to make what Murray considered necessary repairs, so Murray resorted to self help and withheld a portion of the rent. The apartment that Murray was living in was rent controlled, so it is easy to understand why the landlord decided to start eviction proceedings.

Instead of eviction, Murray was placed under guardianship by Hon. Anthony Cutrona Justice of the Supreme Court in Kings County, Brooklyn, NY in March of 2001 in order to protect him.

This is when, Murray says his life turned into a nightmare. When a guardian is appointed for a person, all their civil rights are lost. Murray could no longer control his own money. The court ordered that all of Murrays salary, including all overtime pay must be sent to the guardian, a company ironically called Self Help Community Services, Inc. Each week, the guardian returns a total of $325 which he and his wife are expected to live on.

A recent copy of payments made by the guardian on behalf of Murray were impossible to decipher. Many of Murrays over due bills to places like cable and cell phone companies, as well as one credit card bill, were in arrears. Some were accumulating interest almost equalling the minimum amounts being paid by the guardian. There was no indication of the amount of fees taken out by the guardianship company as compensation for their services. For the forty years prior to having a guardian, Murray claims, he had no problems paying all his bills, including car payments.

Murray is in dire need of dental work. He is missing a few of his bottom teeth. Murray claims that he had been having dental work done but when the bill became five hundred dollars, the guardian would no longer pay it.

He is more concerned with his loss of hearing which is having a negative effect at his job. He says that his co-workers find it annoying because they have to constantly repeat instructions because Murray cant hear them when they speak. Sometimes people mistake his loudness for aggressiveness. According to Murray, he had a hearing test done last week and he is totally deaf in his right ear and partially deaf in his left. He said that he had ordered three hearing aids from a company called Hearing Aid Express using a personal check, but the guardian cancelled them.

It is hard to believe that a guardian of a person would not immediately address the issues which are negatively effecting the health and well-being of someone under their watch.

Murray has made his problem known to many agencies in New York, has contacted and emailed the first lady, Oprah Winfrey, etc. and has been told that they can not help him. Murray says he has written to Judge Cutrona asking for a hearing in order to get rid of this guardianship so often that recently the Judge wrote back accusing Murray of harassing him.

Question. Why doesn't Murray just retire and quit his job? Answer: The guardian will get his pension.

Being a victim of a guardianship is like being caught in quicksand. You don't realize what you have gotten yourself into, and it is near impossible to get out.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This video demonstrates the reality that guardianship abuse doesn't just happen to the elderly and vulnerable, but it can happen to anybody.

Murray Feingold just wants his life back so he can feel normal. He's worked his whole life and now just wants to retire. He deserves his golden years.

This video is very aptly named.

Anonymous said...

This guy is working for a living, but he's incapacitated enough to be guardianized?

He earns $50,000 a year and the guardian doesn't give him and his wife enough to live on?

The vultures are in a feeding frenzy and MUST BE STOPPED!

Four lawyers, controlled by judge, laid down here and failed to rescue this man from an obviously unlawful and abusive procedure.

THIS SYSTEM IS OUT OF CONTROL!

What is the actual incapacity?

Who's next, "W"?

Anonymous said...

Most people are not aware of the awesome powers that are bestowed on a guardian and once one has been appointed there is basically no oversight. The laws in NY state that the preference is to appoint a family member as guardian, and if the person has little or no assets or income, that usually happens. In cases where the person is wealthy, or has a lucrative pension like Murray, an out sider is assigned to handle the finances. In many cases they are lawyers who basically name their own price. Proof of this is all over the internet if you just search for it. The problem is that people rarely pay attention to guardian and conservator abuse until it effects a loved one, and then it is too late.

GET INVOLVED NOW AND EDUCATE YOURSELF AND OTHERS. http:www.stopguardianabuse.org

Anonymous said...

I AM BEYOND DISGUST!!!THIS HONEST,
DECENT MAN IS BEING ABUSED AND NO ONE IN TH COURT SYSTEM SEES THIS?
HELEN KELLER COULD SEE THIS MORE
CLEARLY THAN A BUNCH OF MORALLY
DEFICIENT AUTHORITIES--BECAUSE
THOSE ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO WOULD TOLERATE SUCH BLATANT CORRUPTION.
FREE THIS MAN NOW!~!!!

Anonymous said...

WAKE UP AMERICA!

This video could be YOU!

This guardianship situation shows the world that the court system in the United States of America truly is motivated by GREED.

This shows the court system is: blind, deaf, mute and corrupt.

I am absolutely horrified and disgusted by what I am forced to accept and witness.

We as a nation have been reduced to a third world country status by GREED by those in power and authority in our country: the lawyers and judges et al in the probate racket.

Why is it that we, the people, cannot stop this criminal behavior sanctioned by the court?

Why is it that the individuals and agencies that Murray Feingold wrote to in our country turned away from Murray Feingold's pleas for help?

Why are we tolerating and allowing this criminal behavior to continue?

Why is it that one organization, the National Association To STOP Guardian Abuse is the ONLY organization / person that cares and is listening to Murray Feingold's pleas to be free?

What will YOU do to help Murray Feingold be FREE?

Anonymous said...

Believe it or not! Yes, this CAN and DOES happen in the USA! This man is in a living hell through no fault of his own. How will he ever escape? Our legal system is to blame, and must be fixed, but who is gonna take on that "DIRTY JOB"???

Anonymous said...

Free Murray Feingold!