87-year-old Stratford woman evicted from her home

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BRIDGEPORT — A judge has ordered an 87-year-old Stratford woman evicted from her home of more than 50 years after her family testified she has become a burden to them after injuring her ankle.

Maria Michaels has until April to vacate her Rosebrook Drive home. In the meantime, she may now have to start paying rent to the nephew who now owns the house. He wants her to pay $1,000 a month to stay in her bedroom.

A hearing on the rent issue has been scheduled for Jan. 15.

“While the defendant once had a right to occupy the premises, that right was terminated by both the notice to quit and the plaintiffs testified credibly that the defendant has ‘become a burden to them,’” Superior Court Judge Walter Spader Jr. ruled. “This finding sounds harsh, but the evidence demonstrates that certainly, the relationship between the parties has soured.”

“We disagree with the court’s ruling and plan to take whatever legal action is necessary to protect our elderly client,” said Michael’s lawyer, Charles Kurmay.

Michaels and her husband owned and operated a small gift shop on Wilcoxson Avenue in Stratford, called Exclusively Yours, until her husband’s death. In 1965, they purchased a lot on Rosewood Drive and built their dream house.

According to court records, in 1989, Michaels and her husband agreed to sponsor her nephew Jan Hlinka to come to this country from the Czech Republic. When Hlinka arrived, the couple took him into their home and gave him a job, records show.

Three years later, Hlinka’s wife, Beata, arrived on the couple’s doorstep and the Michaels took her in, too.

The Hlinkas raised a family in the Michael’s home and have four daughters, according to court records.

Their lawyer, Kevin Curseaden, did not return calls for comment.

In May 1999, without the benefit of a lawyer, Michaels, her husband now dead, agreed to sell her Rosebrook Drive home to the Hlinkas for $165,000 with the written agreement that she “would reside there as long as she does not become a burden to her nephew and niece.” At the time, the house was appraised by the town for more than $220,000.

But last February, the Hlinkas said they had enough and filed court papers to evict Michaels.

During a trial in October before Spader, Jan Hlinka testified that safety had become a concern. Since Michaels fell and broke her ankle in the kitchen in 2016, there have been several incidents of her burning food on the stove and in the microwave, almost causing fires in the house, as well as other incidents that speak to her health and safety, he testified.

Kurmay contended the Hlinkas just wanted to boot the elder woman to the street and enjoy their ill-gotten gains.

During the trial, Kurmay put Michaels on the witness stand.

“I prepare my meals, I do my shopping, I do my laundry, I take my medications and I stay out of everybody's way,” she testified.

“And does anyone from the Hlinka family currently help you with any of your activities of daily living?” Kurmay asked her.

“No, not even a cup of tea,” she replied.

Kurmay also said that Jan and Beata were purposely trying to make it difficult for Michaels to live in the house by lowering the temperature in her bedroom and stopping grocery deliveries to her.

Beata Hlinka testified she had gone to Shop Rite and told the manager they didn’t want employees delivering groceries inside the house anymore.

Martha Marchelli, social worker for the state Elderly Protective Services, testified that she determined Michaels was the victim of emotional abuse and neglect by the Hlinkas. However, the judge pointed out that despite the finding, neither Marchelli nor the state Department of Social Services took any further action.

The judge continued that he did find it “inexcusable” for the Hlinkas to ask the supermarket to stop the inside deliveries.