Supreme Court Should Have Considered the Alleged Incapacitated Person’s (AIP’s) Available Resources Before Finding the AIP Incapacitated and In Need of a Guardian

The Fourth Department reversed Supreme Court’s determination the alleged incapacitated person (AIP) was incapacitated and needed a guardian.  Supreme Court did not consider the sufficiency of the AIP’s available resources:

We agree with the AIP that Supreme Court erred in making that determination without considering “the sufficiency and reliability of available resources’ (Mental Hygiene Law § 81.02 [a] [2]) to satisfy the AIP’s personal needs and property management without the need for a guardian” … . It is undisputed that the AIP had “available resources,” i.e., a power of attorney and healthcare proxy (see Mental Hygiene Law § 81.03 [e]), and the court should therefore have inquired whether those advance directives were adequate to protect the AIP’s personal and property interests before determining that she is incapacitated and in need of a guardian … . Matter of Mitchell, 2015 NY Slip Op 00165, 4th Dept 1-2-15