Lou Russo
NEW FAIRFIELD – A 96-year-old World War II veteran whose claims of mistreatment by a court-appointed conservator have attracted community-wide support earned a measure of vindication this week when a probate judge ordered that $34,000 be repaid to him.
Lou Russo – a longtime New Fairfield resident who fell at his home in 2013 – spent 16 months in a nursing home against his will while a court-appointed conservator named Mark Broadmeyer spent his life savings, sold his construction vehicles, and rented out his home to tenants.
A veterans’ advocate from Bethel named Dan Gaita called police, politicians and the press. Gaita organized a core of committed volunteers to restore Russo’s house, allowing him to return home on Thanksgiving.
This week, Probate Judge Martin Landgrebe ordered Broadmeyer to repay Russo for the construction trucks Broadmeyer scrapped and the cost of evicting the tenants, among other things.
“It’s been a disaster but I am pretty resilient,” said Russo from his home on Wednesday.
Broadmeyer has 30 days to appeal the ruling.