Thursday, July 1, 2010

Judge Orders House Returned; Nixes Marriage

Give her back her house! That was the judge’s decision in the case of a mentally ill woman who was duped out of her home after marrying and transferring the deed to her new husband. She had lived in the Throggs Neck house all of her life, prior to finding herself homeless last year.

After reaching out to former assemblyman and attorney Stephen Kaufman who arranged for a pro bono lawyer, a court found Geraldine Panattieri, 58, mentally incapacitated on Tuesday, June 15. It voided her signing over her house to Joseph Lillard, a younger man who she befriended and married after her longtime companion died.

Bronx Supreme Court Judge Wilma Guzman stated in her legal decision that Panattieri was not able to make major life decisions, including her marriage to Lillard in October 2008 or signing documents that gave him ownership of the two-family house in May 2009.

She ordered the deed transferred and her marriage to dissolved, and appointed Family Service Society of Yonkers her legal guardian. Kaufman called the outcome a major win for the community.

Full Article and Source;
Judge Orders House Returned; Nixes Sham Marriage

2 comments:

Lou said...

We can only hope that Family Service Society of Yonkers is reputable.... otherwise this poor woman is still in danger.

Barbara said...

Well said, Lou. Family Service Society of Yonkers can be just as bad or worse than what this woman has been thru.