A nursing home patient claims the money intended for nursing home bills was wrongfully converted for personal use by the account guardian.
Jean Williams filed a complaint on July 17 in Madison County Circuit Court against Vanguard Group Inc. and Judith Brown.
Williams claims she created an account in 1996 with Vanguard in the amount of $86,597.19, and another two years later in the amount of $40,000.
According to the lawsuit, the accounts were to be paid on death to Judith Brown, the guardian of Connie Williams.
Without the plaintiff's authority, however, Vanguard changed the designation to "show that both Judith Brown and Connie Williams were co-owners of the account," the lawsuit states.
Starting in summer 2014, after Jean Williams suffered a stroke, Brown began to allegedly withdraw "significant" sums from the account, which were eventually converted for personal use, the lawsuit states.
The plaintiff, currently in a nursing home, "has been deprived of large sums of money of which he is in need of to support himself and to pay his nursing home bills," the lawsuit states.
The plaintiff, citing, conversion and negligence, seeks damages of more than $100,000, plus costs.
The plaintiff is represented by Ronald A. Roth of Roth Law Offices in Granite City.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 15-L-912.