How to Snag a Disciplinary Complaint

According to a Morning Call account, Attorney Donald Corriere spent at least $50,000 owed to Randi Ratushny after her mother passed away. What I find interesting is what happened to Randi Ratushny's money.

She, along with her sister, are the two people who complained to the Disciplinary Board and got the ball rolling.

She passed away in 2012, leaving a will that left everything to her sister, Robin Thomas. But Ratushny's boyfriend stepped forward with a new will, claiming that he was the rightful heir. This Will was executed just two months after the first one, and Michael Corriere testified that Ratushny really intended to devise her estate to her boyfriend. Judges bought this argument, on both the County and Superior Court level.

That estate was worth $87,836.40. But $61,752.13 was gobbled up in administrative fees that included

• a $5,000 payment made by Don Corriere to his malpractice insurance carrier for the deductible in a malpractice claim made by Ratushny.
• $24,822.50 in ligitation fees to Don Corriere.
• $5,832 to Michael Corriere as the Estate attorney.

There is no suggestion that any of this money was spent improperly. But a disappointed heir who sees her sister's life's savings spent on legal and administrative costs might have an ax to grind.