T&E Litigation Update: Rochalski v. Sklodowski

In Rochalski v. Sklodowski, Case No. 10-P-1750, 2012 Mass. App. Unpub. LEXIS 12 (Jan. 6, 2012), a decision issued pursuant to Rule 1:28, the Appeals Court affirmed the probate court's judgment voiding certain transactions on grounds of lack of capacity and undue influence. The decedent's native language was Polish, with her knowledge of English being limited. She also suffered from mental illnesses, among them hoarding. Despite these limitations, she was able to accumulate a considerable estate, including a six-family residential building in Boston. The decedent lived in an apartment on the property until 2002, when the building was condemned and put into receivership. The decedent contested the receivership and became embroiled in legal proceedings in an attempt to rehabilitate the property. She was assisted by an attorney, her guardian, and the defendant, who acted as the decedent's interpreter. The attorney developed a plan for the property that required the decedent to deed one-half of her interest to a developer, who would rehabilitate the property and then allow the decedent to live in one of the apartments rent-free for the remainder of her life. The defendant intervened, however, persuading the decedent to deed the entire property to him for one dollar. Thereafter, the defendant rehabilitated the property but rented the apartment meant for the decedent to a third party. The defendant also assumed control of the decedent's finances, using a general power of attorney to withdraw money from the decedent's accounts and cashing her Social Security checks...

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