The Michigan Attorney General's Office
stepped in to stop what it called a case of "financial exploitation" in
St. Clair County Probate Court.
"The
Office of Michigan Attorney General filed objections in a St. Clair
County probate case after Lisa Tramski, a nursing home leasing agent who
became a guardian, convinced an 85-year-old woman to make her the sole
beneficiary of the woman’s estate," according to a press release.
"Pauline
Runyon, who had no living heirs, was a resident at a nursing home where
Tramski befriended her. Within five months,Tramski was able to obtain
large monetary gifts from Runyon for herself and her son."
The
Attorney General's Office said following an accident that caused Runyon
to lose most of her memory, Tramski became her guardian. Two months
following the accident and only days before Runyon's death, Tramski had a
friend provide a will to the woman, making Tramski the sole beneficiary
of her estate, according to the Attorney General's Office.
"St.
Clair County Probate Court Judge John D. Tomlinson agreed with the
Attorney General’s Office that Runyon lacked the capacity to sign the
will and that Tramski exerted excessive influence on Runyon in her role
as the guardian," the Attorney General's Office said.
As
a result of this ruling, a new representative was appointed and a prior
will from 2009 that leaves a portion of Runyon's estate to the Leader
Dogs for the Blind and a local domestic violence shelter will be used to
distribute her remaining assets and fulfill her wishes.
“What
this guardian did is exactly the kind of financial exploitation of
seniors that everyone worries about,” said Attorney General Dana
Nessel. “Ms. Runyon did not have any living relatives to watch out for
her, so my office stepped in to protect her interests from this
unscrupulous nursing agent who befriended her for the sole purpose of
lining her pockets.”
Tramski did not immediately respond to messages sent to her on Facebook and left on a number listed for her on Thursday.
When asked if there were any further investigations into the matter, Dan
Olsen, the attorney general's spokesman, said, "We do not comment on
who we are and are not investigating."
Full Article & Source:
AG: 'Unscrupulous' nursing home agent convinced elderly woman to leave her entire estate
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