Attorney for James Larkin says he's healthy, doesn't want to speak to family

Editor's note: This is the self-same Jerry who was present at the Larkin Children's home in the 80's and the self-same Jerry persecuting attorneys Ditkowsky and Denison presently.  Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster,  ProbateSharks.com


***********

news

 

Family of wealthy Chicago businessman told he moved to Hong Kong

Attorney for James Larkin says he's healthy, doesn't want to speak to family

March 21, 2008|By Michael Higgins, Tribune reporter

• 
  

• A lawyer for wealthy Chicago businessman James Larkin disputes that his client went missing last fall, saying he merely moved to Hong Kong to live with his second wife.

But Larkin's family still questions whether he is healthy enough to make decisions for himself.

The family has feared for his safety since Larkin, 63, vanished in September, just months after he suffered a debilitating stroke and despite being owed more than $3 million by his former business.  

On Wednesday attorney Peter Qiu showed up in Cook County probate court, saying he represented Larkin and that his client is healthy but doesn't want to speak with relatives.

Larkin's family reacted with skepticism to the news.

"If he is well, I am thrilled," his daughter, Lorraine Demma, who attended the court hearing, said Thursday. "But it makes no sense that he doesn't want to talk to his family. It's not who he is ... There is definitely a missing person here, and we want him to come home."

Qiu and Larkin's family now are battling in court over whether Probate Judge Mary Ellen Coghlan should allow Larkin to handle his own business affairs or keep his brother, Jerry, as his temporary guardian.

The relatives have alleged in court documents that Larkin's wife, Brigetta Cheung Larkin, had flouted doctors' instructions for her husband, skipping his medical appointments and then secretly moving him out of the country without telling family members.

The family said that when they last saw Larkin, he couldn't drive or sign his name and had trouble carrying on conversations. They fear that without a guardian he could be exploited financially.

Qiu disputed that contention Wednesday in court, saying he spoke to Larkin in September and found him to be "very healthy" but "with no trust in the other members of his family." Qiu asked the judge to remove the guardianship.

Coghlan did not rule on Qiu's request but ordered Larkin to undergo a medical examination by an independent doctor in Hong Kong. The judge asked that a current photograph of Larkin be included when the doctor submits a report.

Qiu would not comment Thursday about the case and declined to make his client available for interview.

Larkin is a certified public accountant and lawyer who founded a company that sells portable fans that cool by spraying a fine mist. He sold his share of the business for $5.2 million early last year and was paid $2 million upfront, according to court records.

After Larkin disappeared, the company, Circulair Inc., was forced to file a lawsuit for court guidance on how to pay Larkin the additional $3.2 million he was owed.

Coghlan ruled Wednesday that Circulair could pay the remaining money into a fund that Larkin's brother, an attorney, will maintain on Larkin's behalf.

The family says Larkin suffered multiple strokes on July 4, was hospitalized and spent about a month in a rehabilitation facility.

In a petition to end the guardianship, Qiu filed a one-page report from a Hong Kong doctor who said he examined Larkin onSept. 29 and found him "slightly sluggish" but said Larkin's "mental state was normal."

Kerry Peck, the family's Chicago attorney, applauded the judge's move for an independent doctor to examine Larkin.