On a current day, Paulette Kohler celebrated her ninety fifth birthday in her rent-controlled Higher West Aspect residence with pals. However the retired hairdresser, who has lived in her residence for 70 years, is operating out of cash.
In March of 2022, Manhattan Choose Carol Sharpe ordered Kohler right into a court-appointed guardianship in opposition to her will, and her documented needs. At the moment, she had $870,000 in her account.
The guardianship was overturned 16 months later. Kohler is now left with simply over $27,000.
The court docket appointed the guardianship amid claims from the owner of Kohler’s apartment constructing that her finest buddy, Inga Eggerud, was being investigated by the FBI for monetary elder abuse. The yr earlier than, Paulette, with no surviving household, had designated Eggerud, her longtime finest buddy, as energy of lawyer and beneficiary.
There was by no means any documented proof in opposition to Eggerud, who has labored for years because the housekeeper for a outstanding NYC company government, Barbara Goodstein.
“They were attacking me like I was the worst thing on the planet. All I ever wanted to do was to make sure Paulette could live out her final years in her home. I promised he that I would protect her,” mentioned Eggerud.
In Nov. 2023, New York’s Appellate Division ordered the guardianship reversed and reinstated Eggerud as energy of lawyer. The justices known as the guardianship “improper.”
Eggerud is now suing events concerned within the guardianship for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional misery in opposition to Paulette. The defendants, who sought to dismiss the fees, deny the allegations.
A trial court docket choose lately dominated that main claims can go ahead in opposition to the regulation agency which initially represented the owner within the guardianship petition.
Barbara Goodstein says she used her monetary experience to look at the accounting paperwork, which included greater than a half-million {dollars} for residence well being aides employed by the guardian. Eggerud says she is paying a fraction of that quantity now, for much higher care. Goodstein additionally says Kohler continues to be owed court-ordered charges totaling greater than $65,000.
“There is no visibility into this entire system,” mentioned Goodstein. “There are massive amounts of money moving around and nobody can see where it’s going. This case is going to end up breaking ground in this space because so many people have made an industry out of this.”
