Nurse ordered to return six-figure inheritance
A disgraced former nurse has been ordered to repay $880,000 in inheritance money she was left by a former patient, who died just four weeks after they met.
Abha Anuradha Kumar was working as a nurse at Cambridge House, a residential aged care facility in Collingwood in Melbourne's inner-city, when she met 92-year-old Lionel Cox in 2015.
After first meeting, Kumar learned that Cox had no immediate family and no will, but owned a valuable property in Fitzroy.
Within days of learning of his situation, Kumar bought a will kit for Cox and persuaded two other staff members of Cambridge House to witness his handwritten will.
However, she failed to tell either witness that she was listed as the executor and sole beneficiary to Mr Cox's estate.
After a short battle with pneumonia, Mr Cox died on August 9th 2015.
Mr Cox's estate totalled well over $1 million with Kumar gaining $1,117,000 from his home when it sold in 2016, $36,277 cash and personal items valued at $3,000.
A lawyer representing Lionel's cousin, Geoffrey Cox, a beneficiary of the last court's decision, argued that Kumar's actions were elder financial abuse, adding that the large inheritance was created under "the most suspicious circumstances imaginable".
"It's an important reminder that the law can and will catch up with you eventually," James Dimond from the law firm Moores told The Age.
"This is a rare situation involving a medical professional, but elderly and vulnerable people are separated from their assets or pressured to sign dodgy wills and other legal documents all the time."
"The court system is rife with elder financial abuse cases, usually involving close family members."
The Trustee's lawyers alleged Kumar did not execute Mr Cox's will in compliance with legislation and acted against the elder's wishes.
On Thursday, Judge Melissa Daly revoked Kumar’s grant to manage the estate and sale proceeds of Cox’s home, and ordered her to return $880,000 of remaining inheritance to Cox's family.
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