Ex-Nurse Ordered to Return $550,000 from Will of 92-Year-Old Care Home Patient She Knew for Just 24 Days
Mar. 15, 2025Stock image of a woman assisting an elderly patient.Photo:Getty
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A former nurse has been ordered to hand over half a million dollars she inherited from a 92-year-old patient to his family in Australia, according to multiple reports.
Kumar met Cox on July 3, 2015, when she worked as a manager at Cambridge House, a care facility for the elderly, in Collingwood, according to acase and review documentfrom the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, which was published in 2019.
A stock image of a person holding an elderly man’s hand.Getty
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The ex-nurse found out within three days of Cox’s arrival at the home that he owned a property and hadn’t created a will as he had no known immediate family. Kumar obtained a will kit and convinced two staff members to witness Cox writing the will, per SMH, Daily Mail and The Age.
Kumar reportedly did not mention that she was the executor and the sole beneficiary, per the Daily Mail
Cox died of pneumonia on Aug. 9, 2015, according to the outlet.
Kumar was not working on the day of his death and called a junior staffer at Cambridge House following the news to search for his house key before his body was removed from the home, per SMH.
She was subsequently listed as the informant on Cox’s death certificate and given the grant of probate, according to the outlet.
“Ms. Kumar transgressed the boundaries that should and ordinarily do exist between a registered nurse and her patient in that she was over-involved in the affairs of Mr. Lionel Cox,” the Nursing and Midwifery Board stated in theirreview.
Cox’s cousin Geoffrey’s lawyer, James Dimond, said of the latest court decision, “It’s an important reminder that the law can and will catch up with you eventually. 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," per SMH.
PEOPLE reached out to the Australian Supreme Court for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
source: people.com
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