Title: In re Estate of Peter A. Turcic Sr.

State: maine

Issuer: Maine Supreme Court

Document:

MAINE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT 
Reporter of Decisions 
Decision: 
2017 ME 118 
Docket: 
Som-16-332 
Submitted 
  On Briefs: 
May 25, 2017 
Decided: 
June 8, 2017 
 
Panel: 
SAUFLEY, C.J., and ALEXANDER, GORMAN, JABAR, HJELM, and HUMPHREY, JJ. 
 
 
ESTATE OF PETER A. TURCIC SR. 
 
 
JABAR, J. 
[¶1]  Patricia A. Turcic appeals from separate orders of the Somerset 
County Probate Court (Washburn, J.) removing her as personal representative 
of the Estate of Peter A. Turcic Sr., and appointing Attorney J. Michael Talbot 
as personal representative.  Patricia’s brief fails to raise an intelligible or 
cognizable legal argument,1 but to the extent that her appeal seeks to vacate 
her removal as personal representative of the Estate, we affirm the court’s 
order. 
[¶2]  The following procedural history is found in the probate record.  
See Estate of O’Brien-Hamel, 2014 ME 75, ¶ 2, 93 A.3d 689.  Peter A. Turcic Sr. 
died intestate on October 15, 2013.  He is survived by his daughter, Patricia 
Turcic, and his son, Peter A. Turcic Jr.  Patricia was appointed by the Somerset 
                                         
1  Patricia also failed to file an appendix that complies with M.R. App. P. 8.  Nor did she file a 
transcript of the hearing held upon the motion to remove her as personal representative.  See M.R. 
App. P. 5(a), (b)(2). 
 
2 
County Register of Probate as personal representative of the Estate on 
November 12, 2013.   
[¶3]  Melvin W. Christie and Ronald W. Christie, Patricia’s uncle and 
cousin, respectively, filed a petition for appointment of a guardian and 
conservator on behalf of Peter Jr. on July 22, 2015.  They alleged that Peter Jr. 
suffers from schizophrenia, is unable to care for himself, and that although he 
had been residing at Peter Sr.’s former home in Palmyra with Patricia, Patricia 
is unable to appropriately care for him.  The Somerset County Probate Court 
(Washburn, J.) granted the Christies’ motion and appointed them conservators 
of Peter Jr.  The Christies subsequently requested removal of Patricia as 
personal representative of the Estate.   
[¶4]  On April 28, 2016, the court removed Patricia as representative.  
Attorney J. Michael Talbot was appointed as representative of the Estate on 
July 20, 2016.  Patricia timely appealed Attorney Talbot’s appointment.  See 
M.R. App. P. 2(b)(3). 
[¶5]  “The Probate Court has broad discretion in removing or declining 
to remove a personal representative and its decision is reviewed for an abuse 
of that discretion.”  Estate of Voignier, 609 A.2d 704, 707 (Me. 1992).  The 
record demonstrates that Patricia never filed a motion for findings of fact 
 
3 
pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 52(a).  See M.R. Prob. P. 52 (stating that M.R. Civ. P. 52 
applies to Probate Court proceedings).  When a party fails to file a Rule 52 
motion for specific factual findings, we “assume that a trial court found all of 
the facts necessary to support its judgment.”  Ehret v. Ehret, 2016 ME 43, ¶ 9, 
135 A.3d 101.  Because Patricia has not provided a transcript for our review 
or filed a Rule 52 motion for specific factual findings, and because we hold pro 
se litigants to the same standards as represented litigants, see Richards v. 
Bruce, 1997 ME 61, ¶ 8, 691 A.2d 1223, we affirm the court’s decision to 
remove Patricia as personal representative of her father’s estate. 
The entry is: 
Judgment affirmed.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Patricia A. Turcic, appellant pro se 
 
J. Michael Talbot, Esq., Mills, Shay, Lexier & Talbot, P.A., Skowhegan, for 
appellee Estate of Peter A. Turcic Sr. 
 
 
Somerset County Probate Court docket number 2013-268 
FOR CLERK REFERENCE ONLY