Trial charging son with plundering NYC philanthropist Brooke Astor’s estate nears end
By Karen Matthews
September 14th, 2009
NYC trial over socialite Astor’s will nears end
NEW YORK — A tortuous trial that revealed the elegant philanthropist Brooke Astor as a deluded invalid struggling with Alzheimer’s disease is nearing an end after more than four months of testimony.
Astor’s 85-year-old son, Anthony Marshall, and his lawyer are accused of exploiting the socialite’s declining mental condition to plunder millions of dollars from her estate. Closing arguments are set to begin Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Some advocates for the elderly watched the trial closely because they say financial abuse of older people is a growing concern.
“It’s critical that the case went forward,” said Bob Blancato, national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition. “It has done a lot to raise public awareness about the problem of elder financial abuse.”
A darker side of Astor’s legacy emerged in 2006 when one of her grandsons, Philip Marshall, asked a court to remove his father from handling her affairs.
Philip Marshall accused his father of abusing his grandmother by letting her live in squalor in her Park Avenue duplex while he looted her fortune. The accusation led to the filing of criminal charges against Anthony Marshall and Morrissey.
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