ATLANTA — A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses a well-known Bible institute of preying on elderly people to get a cut of their money when they die.
A local woman filed the lawsuit against the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago in federal court in Atlanta.
She filed it on behalf of 89-year-old Hazel Turner, who has been deemed incapacitated by the court.
"She has dementia. She's had memory issues for quite sometime," said Lisa Higdon, Turner's caretaker and court-appointed guardian.
Turner is a longtime supporter of the nonprofit. She donated frequently to the organization.
Higdon says she started getting suspicious in 2013 when an institute representative began making frequent visits to Turner's Brookhaven home.
"I asked him specifically not to meet with her about that (her will/trust) unless we were present," Higdon said.
A spokesperson for the Bible institute emphasized that it is not unusual for nonprofits to be involved in "planned giving."
According to the documents signed by Turner, the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago is the trustee of her estate, a beneficiary and the executor of her will.
"She said, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'Well you signed your property over to a trust for Moody,' and she said, 'I would never do that,' and I said, 'You did,'" Higdon said.
"I was pretty furious that someone would take advantage of an elderly person in her state of mental capacity after I asked them specifically not to meet with her about that unless we were present," Higdon said.
"At every state they take a cut, they enrich themselves along the way," said Jonathan Hawkins, Higdon's attorney.
Higdon filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the Moody Bible Institute on behalf Hazel Turner.
"We know they've been doing this in the state of Georgia since at least 1997," Hawkins said.
A spokesperson for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago issued a statement saying:
"Moody Bible Institute is a non-profit, accredited institution of higher education based in Chicago that also includes radio and publishing ministries. Since our founding by D. L. Moody 130 years ago, we have trained thousands of men and women to serve as missionaries, church leaders, as well as founders and leaders of non-profits and humanitarian-based organizations around the globe. Because of the generosity of donors, we are able to provide a biblically based tuition-paid education to our undergraduate school students in Chicago. We have been made aware of the lawsuit recently filed in the Northern District of Georgia. A nearly identical lawsuit filed by the same law firm was recently dismissed by the Court earlier this year. Like the previous lawsuit, there is absolutely no merit to the Plaintiff's case and we intend to vigorously defend against the unfounded allegations and are confident we will again prevail."
"The Lord said feed my sheep. He didn't say fleece my sheep and what this looks like is some people fleecing some elderly adults," said John Melvin, a deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney for Cobb County.
Melvin is an expert in crimes against the elderly.
"I know that Moody Bible Institute does some good but that doesn't mean that everyone working for them is good, they may have some rogue agents," Melvin said.
WSBTV
