Can my mom sell grandmother’s belongings to pay for her care?

Q: Grandmother has dementia. Been in nursing home for 5 years. Her money is gone due to hospital bills, nursing home and necessities she needs there as well as meds. Can my mom sell her belongings to pay for her continued care and hospital bills?  My uncles have threatened to sue her if she does. As well as demanded an account of where her money went as well as demanding to see the will that the lawyer has.  Can the sue her for selling her things to pay the hospital? And can they threaten to sue her if she doesn’t get the lawyer to turn over a copy if the will. They are claiming my mom has stolen my grandmother’s money. The apparently thought my grandparents were rich when my grandfather died and they were. They “feel” there should have been hundreds of thousands of dollars when he died. When in reality, there was less than $50,000. Nursing home and hospital/ doctor bills ate that. We provide her diapers and hygiene products gloves and snacks. Can they do this to my mom when they have provided little to no help?

A: If you are doing nothing wrong you shouldn’t have any worries. However, you do need to document these expenditures. Additionally, it would benefit you greatly to seek the advice of your attorney or an attorney versed in Medicaid law. You may need to apply for Medicaid benefits and an attorney can guide you on the process and at the same time prepare you on how to deal with these allegations. With all of these expenditures documented and organized all of your efforts will be accounted for. In the event the brothers find a lawyer who will file for an accounting, you will be able to deal with the issue before it goes to court.

If my father is in a nursing home and dies what will become of his financial assets?

Q: My father is sick and is no longer able to take care of himself. He moved in with his sister in Ohio. He has saved money to leave for his children but did not make a will and not understanding are willing to make one. What can we do as a family to secure his money? (Moon, Twp.)

A: With no will, his assets will pass to his spouse or spouse and/or children, depending on Ohio intestate law. If your father enters a nursing home and it turns out that he does not have sufficient funds to pay for his care, he, or his next of kin or guardian, on his behalf, may have to apply for Medicaid. If that should happen, all transfers (sales, gifts, etc.) from him to others within 5 years prior to his Medicaid application, done without consideration, may make him ineligible for Medicaid. Before you have him enter a facility, I advise you to speak with an experienced elder law or estate attorney.

 

Verbal agreements and contracts in land

Q: My uncle owns 10 acres of property in PA. 17 years ago I was looking for property to build a cottage on. We started talking, and he said “you might as well build it here because I’m leaving you this land in my Will anyway.” We agreed to be “partners”; no written agreement exists, and the property remains titled in his name. I performed all the engineering, design, and construction (I am a Master carpenter). He functioned as a laborer. I kept detailed records of all construction materials, and he invested $45k, while I invested $32k. We continue to remain amicable and are not experiencing any conflict regarding ownership. I am just curious – from these limited details, does this “verbal” agreement, my monetary interest and labor, afford me any implied ownership (does a contract exist) in the property should a conflict ever develop between us? Someone mentioned a Statute of Frauds issue? (North Huntington, PA)

A:  I am not sure this is a potential Statue of Frauds problem as it is not a sale of real estate. If a problem occurred between you and he, your position would be much stronger if you had an interest in the real estate. If all work halted due to a disagreement, you would need to sue for your time and materials invested in his property based on his promise. The lawsuit could take years and could be expensive. The problem with him leaving the property to you in his will is that he could change his will at any time. Or, his will may be lost or destroyed at the time that he dies. Or, he needs to apply for Medicaid some day and the property, if in his name, would be included as a Medicaid assets and need to be sold. Perhaps you should discuss your concerns with him. Perhaps transferring title from him to you and he as joint tenants with rights of survivor and sharing real estate taxes would work. If he is open to discussion, consult with a lawyer who has real estate and estate experience.

Can my sister charge 65K for caring for my father?

Q: Can a person pay themselves for care giving when the person being cared for lives full time in a care giving facility? My sister paid herself $60,000.00 as a caregiver to our father retroactively for 2011 and 2012 while our father lived with her. She had him sign a POA (revoked to herself only) in October 2010. Most of that time, he was self-sufficient and allowed to come and go as he pleased. They left a key for him outside of their house. She works full time. He has Alzheimer’s and caring for him did become harder. He was moved to a home in April 2013. She has paid herself a total of $64,000.00 for 2013, 2014 & 2015. At this point it would be my contention that she is only performing duties of a POA and not providing care giving services. How can she when he is receiving around the clock care in an Alzheimer’s facility? She is not doing very much that I can see. (Scott Township, PA)

A: You should speak with an attorney. If the POA appointed her as caretaker and authorized payment at the going rate, or if she was operating under a legal caretaker contract, then she meets the first hurdle in my opinion. She would need to justify her payment by showing a record of the hours she worked, services performed and costs paid out of her pocket to. If the POA did not authorize her caretaker services and she over billed, you can challenge this in court. It will require the services of a lawyer to examine the POA and advise you about filing for an accounting. The sooner you act, the better, as she may burn through the money and then collecting it from her may be a futile effort. Also, you can call adult services if you think father has been financially exploited. Also, here is a potential Medicaid issue here your father ever needs to qualify, which you should discuss with the attorney.

How can a lawyer file a quiet lawsuit against me over a property I sold that belonged to me?

Q: A family member gifted their home to me. We went through the whole process legally…the house was appraised; contracts were signed and a new grant deed for myself was recorded at the county recording office. Since then I have sold this home (was cash owned) and purchased a new home. The family member is now angry at me for a personal reason and is saying she wants the house back…which means the new house I bought. I received a letter from her attorney stating that she should have been on the title to the new home because I sold her home. The attorney is also saying that I am responsible for elder financial abuse because the home that was sold was hers. This sounds ridiculous! I sold the home when it belonged to me. That is my legal right. Grant deed recorded and papers signed over. She was in no part of the selling process for purchase of the new home. The attorney is threatening to file a quiet title, financial elder abuse and duress lawsuit. How is that possible? After my grandmother gifted the home to me and I received the grant deed she gave up all rights to the home I’m assuming. (Pittsburgh, PA)

A: There is no easy answer for this without you sitting down with an attorney and going over all the facts and reviewing all the documents. This attorney may be alleging things that he cannot prove. I hope the prior deed to you from grandmother was done by an attorney, as the attorney would have made sure the law was complied with and this was a gift/transfer for no consideration and grandmother was of sound mind as evidenced by her notarized and witnessed signature. So, if all those measures that you stated were done, it sounds like you have protection. Again, gather all your documents and sit down with an attorney, preferably the one who handled the original transfer from grandmother to you.

Can I obtain a gun permit with a Simple Assault on my record?

Q: I have a domestic simple assault from Arnold, PA. I live in Oil City, PA now. Can get a handgun if this happened in 1995? I have not had any arrest or anything sense and never been in any other trouble in my life all but that one time. I want to get a hand gun for hunting but need to get past the background check and this simple assault is kind of holding me up. (Oil City, PA)

A:  If you were convicted, unless your simple assault was a mutual combat M3, you cannot get a license to carry nor can you own or possess guns. I would check to see if you were actually convicted by obtaining your criminal history from the PA State Police. If you were not convicted, the arrest record will be on file and may prevent a permit being issued to you or a gun being sold to you. If you were not convicted, you can expunge the arrest record and should have no problem obtaining a carry permit.

Must my landlord return my security deposit?

Q: Is landlord allowed to retain security deposit after broken lease? Had an apartment with a very laid back landlord. Also had a roommate who had to leave the lease, I couldn’t cover the rest of the rent. Gave the landlord a three month heads up, which verbally was OK with. We left the lease June 1st even though it ran until Sept 1st. No legal written statement of landlord being OK with this but I do know he is currently renting the spot and has been since July 1st. After talking with him about security deposit at the end of July over the phone, he claims there were $300 in cleaning but has not provided any sort of list. He still hasn’t sent us the security deposit back. I’m wondering what legal action I can take and since a lot of dealing with this landlord was ‘off the cuff’ am I legal obligated to fulfill the rest of the lease? (Pittsburgh, PA)

A: In PA, a landlord has 30 days after the lease has ended or the leasehold is surrendered to return a security deposit after the tenant has requested in writing the return of the deposit and provided the landlord with his or her new forwarding address. As a matter of procedure, you should do this via certified mail, return receipt. If the landlord fails to return the money and has not explained a reason as to why he retained the deposit (i.e. clean up), the tenant can sue him for the deposit amount as well as damages. If you fear that since you left a month early, he could claim the month of June in unpaid rent, you may want to reconsider going after the deposit. An attorney would need to look at the lease before advising you.

Employer paid me too much

Q:  My employer put extra money on my paycheck for some unknown reason. What should you do? Should I contact a lawyer? (White Oak, PA)

A: Ask him why. If it is a reward for good work, accept it and say thank you. If it is a mistake, it will eventually be detected and withdrawn from your pay. Telling your employer will make you look better. I don’t think you need a lawyer.

Unlawful stop DUI?

Q: Hello, I was pulled over recently and was charged with a DUI for marijuana in my system. I was not impaired at the time, but the officer believes that I was. He said I failed the field sobriety tests and took me in for blood. His reason he said he pulled me over was because I went on the line, I don’t even believe that is true and I am pretty sure I was driving 100% fine. Nothing was wrong with the car or any other reason to pull me over. This is my first DUI and since I’m waiting on the blood work, hiring an attorney right now is pointless until then. Is it possible to fight this due to an unlawful stop? Does anyone have any similar stories where they got it thrown away due to unlawful stop? I also want to mention that it was a holiday weekend, at night and on a quiet rode. I really believe he just pulled me over because he felt like it.

A: You have recognized one defense, probable cause. Crossing a painted road line while driving can constitute sufficient probable cause to stop a motor vehicle. However, an attorney would need to know much more than this to opine as to whether you have a defense. An attorney can advise you on other matters regarding your arrests such as the blood test and programs available to you as a first-time offender.

 

Can I let unlicensed driver drive my car?

Q: Car and insurance in my name being driven to work by someone without a valid license. What happens to me if he gets pulled over? He is in process of getting his license back, the title and insurance are in my name. Will only he get in trouble if caught, or will I also get in trouble?

A: In PA, if you have knowledge that a person has no driver’s license-whether suspended or they just don’t have one, and you allow them to operate your motor vehicle, you can be charged with a summary motor vehicle offense. In addition, read your insurance policy to make sure your carrier will not deny coverage if such person is involved in an accident while driving your car with your consent.