Mother of Advocate Maritza Torrent-Viola

Because of a forced guardianship, my mother had to spend over four years in nursing homes against her will. It didn’t matter to the judge that Mom wanted to live with me. It didn’t matter that she was terrified and abused while in the nursing home. And it doesn’t matter now to the judge that my Mom needlessly suffered total loss of her sight due to nursing home neglect, among other atrocities.

She begged me to take her home but I was powerless to do so. The judge appointed my brother, an attorney apparently still in “good standing” although on psychiatric disability for at least 10 years, as guardian of the property. His illness and irrational behavior plagued my efforts to free Mom because the judge favored my brother over our mother’s best interest.

And my Mother suffered for it.

The person the judge was supposed to be protecting was my Mother, not my brother.