Mary Connors, loving daughter of Grace Connors

News Article on Wrongful State Guardianship

Woman: Mom’s wishes ignored
Daughter questions guardian change by judge
By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@leader.net

Grace Connors executed paperwork in September 1990 to make her only surviving daughter, Mary Connors, her durable power of attorney – the person who would manage her life, legal matters and finances if she could no longer do so.

Her wish is not being honored.

The 84-year-old West Pittston native now suffers dementia, and a Luzerne County judge has named a different guardian – the Family Service Association of Wyoming Valley.

Mary Claire Connors and her legal representative – the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia – say the court had no authority or justification to appoint a different guardian, and they filed legal action this week to force the county to reinstate Mary’s durable power of attorney and end the association’s guardianship.

“Mrs. Connors’ plain and bindingly expressed wishes, required under law to govern here, have been systematically disrespected, ignored, disregarded and trampled,” wrote lawyer Thomas K. Gilhool.

Mary Connors said “anger is just oozing out of me.”

“If these durable powers of attorney are being ignored, why advocate that people get them?” said Connors, who recently attended a county commissioners meeting to publicly urge county officials to watch her case and others.

The not-for-profit Public Interest Law Center helps people who can’t afford lawyers fight to get all levels of government to “do right by the public, especially the weakest and most vulnerable citizens.”

Gilhool presented the following details in his filing:
Grace, a lifelong West Pittston resident, had a U.S. Postal Service pension left by her late husband and a long-term care insurance policy.

Her attorney, Veronica Kisailus, testified in guardianship proceedings that Grace asked her to prepare a durable power of attorney in 1990. Kisailus said she explained in detail what it meant and Grace signed the action. Kisailus testified that Grace “gave every evidence of being of sound mind and judgment.”

The county’s Area Agency on Aging initiated the change in guardianship in 2001.
Grace had been visiting Mary in August 2001 in Santa Rosa, Calif. Mary Connors reported that her mother had been unlawfully removed by her adoptive niece from an Alzheimer’s day program there and brought to Pennsylvania without Mary’s knowledge or consent.

Around that time, Grace passed a note to a longtime West Pittston next-door neighbor, asking the neighbor to please get her out of the adoptive niece’s farmhouse, where she had been moved. The neighbor gave the note to the West Pittston police, which turned it over to the Agency on Aging.

In November 2001, county Judge Chester Muroski appointed the Family Service Association as temporary emergency guardian and later guardian “until further order of this court.”

Mary has argued in court that nobody has presented any evidence, proof or good cause showing why the power of attorney should be disqualified. The law requires evidence of “good cause or disqualification” before another guardian can be named, Gilhool said, adding that Mary must also be given a chance to refute any claims.

Gilhool said the Sept. 17, 1990, durable power of attorney was in “full force and effect,” making the other guardianship “unlawful, invalid, void and voidable.”
The Agency on Aging has cited allegations from both “sides” regarding “exploitation of Mrs. Connors’ assets.”

Gilhool said Mary gave the court complete records of the bank account and other transactions throughout the period of her durable power. The other “side” produced incomplete records that, if investigated, “would have shown a very substantial and unaccountable withdrawal from the then recently established joint account by the other ‘side,’” he wrote.

Grace was placed in a facility, where she has been for nearly five years, the action says.

County Public Information Officer Kathy Bozinski said the county can’t comment on pending litigation, and background information on guardianships would likely be confidential anyway.

Mary moved back to the family home in West Pittston, though she said it’s in foreclosure proceedings and the county is trying to liquidate it to pay the nursing home that she does not want her mother in. She said she wants her mother to live with her with assistance from providers that come into the home. People must wake up and realize the same thing can happen to them, she said.

“I want to show the public that the trust they have in the system can be violated. They can’t depend on their advance directives being followed,” she said.

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Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.
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"The more men have to lose, the less willing are they to venture. The rich are in general slaves to fear, and submit to courtly power with the trembling duplicity of a spaniel." - Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" - 1776

The American Form of Government

The Sheriff Project.

Sherry Peel Jackson: An Open Letter to Her Congressman

Dear Congressman Johnson

I am Sherry Peel Jackson, your former CPA. I am writing you because I am concerned about my health and my life. Prior to becoming a political prisoner I was the picture of health. In late June, 2009 I started experiencing a rapid heart beat on an irregular basis.

Since this had happened infrequently in the past I did not think much of it. However, in Mid July it started happening on a regular basis and I became concerned. I went to the medical staff twice in Mid July only to be given a one-minute EKG test and powerful meds without proper diagnosis. I did not take them because I had not been seen by a specialist. One week later, on July 21 at 12:45am I left the dorm in flip flops to go tell the officers that I was having a heart attack. The officers on duty called the ambulance and the ambulance checked my heart on their portable EKG machine. It was beating at 150 beats per minute. They took me to Leesberg (spelling) hospital where I remained until Friday, July 24th at 11:30pm. During the hospital stay it was determined that my heart was healthy but my thyroid was producing too much hormone, thus speeding up my heart.

This is called hyperthyroidism or Graves disease. I was given two medications by the hospital - Methimazole, which is an anti-thyroid agent used to reduce the amount of thyroid hormone produced by the body and Metoprolol, which is a beta blocker used to slow the heart.

The hospital doctor told me that in four weeks (approximately August 21) the prison medical unit was to do blood tests to determine how the thyroid medication was affecting my body.

The blood test was taken in late August and I was told that I would be placed on the appointment schedule to come over and review the results. I was never called. I went over in early September and inquired of Dr. DeLeon as to how to get blood test results. He told me to put in a request to staff, so I did that on September 15th. It simply asked to see the results of the tests.

Sometime after September 23rd I received a response in writing, from Ms. Marich, that stated that I could either make a sick call (come over early in the morning wait in line and fill out forms) or come to Open House to see the results. Open house is held only on Thursdays from 3:00pm to 3:30pm. I went to Open House Thursday September 30th and was told by Ms. Marich that she could not find the results! I watched her look through and around several piles of folders in her office but at no time did she look on a computer for them. She told me to check back later. On Wednesday October 28th I passed out around 4pm and was taken to medical and cleared.

On Friday October 30th my lips started turning black as if I had been a lifelong smoker. By Sunday November 1st my lips were fully black.

My boss, the Chaplain, called medical and a male nurse was sent over from the medium security men's prison on this complex (there are two maximum security, one medium security and one low security men's prisons on this complex with the women's camp). He took my blood pressure and oxygen and said there was nothing else he could do. He told me to go to sick call Monday morning, which I did.

I showed Mr. Coucho my lips and told him that something was wrong with my blood, I could tell. (I am leaving out gross details here).

He said I would be put on the schedule. However, the very next day, Tuesday morning, November 3rd, I found blood in my stool and rushed over to medical because I am smart enough to know that this is a major problem. I was chewed out for coming over to medical without a staff member telling me to come. I told Charlie, the female nurse and Mr. Coucho the PA that I was in the hospital in July, never got the blood work results and something was terribly wrong.

I am 46 years old and I know my body! I finally convinced them that I was not playing and was not stupid, so they 'treated' me with a packet for a stool sample test. Mr. Coucho looked on the computer for the blood test results from August and found them there!

The blood test showed a problem with the thyroid way back then!

He said I would be put on the schedule for new blood work later that week because these results were too old. He had a short conversation with Dr. DeLeon in Spanish and then said the thyroid count was off.

This was November 3rd. I administered the stool tests and returned them to Nurse Charlie on Friday November 6th.

Today is November 26th, Thanksgiving. I have not received the results of the stool test. I have not been given any new blood test.

My neck is swelling up like a blow fish and I am having trouble talking. I have been feeling very ill for the last two weeks.

Congressman, I don't want them to kill me in here. As you well know, I am being punished for exposing government fraud. However, millions of people don't file tax returns and I was just used as an example by the DOJ for their new program called the Tax Defiers Initiative.

I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful children. I have already spent 21 months in prison for a non crime, and I refuse to come out dead or maimed for life. I have not caused these people any problems. This is no threat but just for your information.

I also wrote the warden today. Things can't go on this way as I languish in here for someone's political gain. God doesn't like ugly and He is the ultimate judge and vindicator.

Sherry Peel Jackson 59085-019
FCI COLEMAN MEDIUM
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
P.O. BOX 1032
COLEMAN, FL 33521