Opinion ID: 1698242
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: did she present clear and convincing proof of good faith?

Text: Madden described, in detail, the events that took place on November 14. Here, Madden's testimony wears thin. According to Lisa Jones, the Merchants Bank employee, Sierra stated to her, in Madden's presence, that Madden was his nurse and he wanted her name on the account so she could look after his business if he became unable to do it. If Madden had admitted at trial she heard this statement, it would, of course, conclusively show the real purpose of this financial arrangement. It would have conclusively shown the arrangement was only to enable Madden to transact business for Sierra if he was incapacitated  clearly, not to make her a gift of the money. On the other hand, if Sierra's purpose was to make her a gift of his small fortune, Madden knew she was ethically obligated and bound to say to him, Mr. Andy, before you do anything like that, you need to talk to someone besides me. [10] Madden gave no such warning, but she escaped confronting this ethical dilemma at trial by testifying she did not recall any such statement. Madden admitted it would be unethical for her, a registered nurse, to accept gifts of significant value from a patient. As a hospice volunteer, Madden conceded, she performed many of the same kinds of services she had rendered as a nurse for Anna Sierra. Finally, she further admitted she had been instructed, too, that a hospice volunteer could not ethically accept substantial gifts knowingly. Madden never testified that Sierra told her at any time he intended to give her his and Mrs. Sierra's life savings. Madden took Andrew Sierra in her car to a bank of her own choosing, Merchants Bank, where she had done business before and knew some bank employees, instead of to Hancock Bank or Southern Federal Bank, where he had done business before and was known. Madden said she knew Sandy Rogers and she could talk to him if she ever ran into any trouble; however, Sierra had never met any of the officers or employees of Merchants Bank before. He was a total stranger to them. Thus, Sierra was deprived of the one last chance of having some friend or acquaintance in one of those banks to give him a bare minimum of caution or advice. Madden, the nurse, decided, on her own, to become Madden, the financial advisor. Madden testified she knew when they set up the accounts on November 14, 1988, they were set up as joint tenancies, with right of survivorship. She admitted she knew that meant she would legally own the contents if Sierra died, even the next day, although Anna Sierra was still alive. Madden also conceded she did not suggest Sierra talk to anyone else  no one at the Merchants Bank, no attorney, no other friend, no relative  before setting up accounts which would, at his death, benefit her, rather than his wife of more than forty years. Madden  the financial advisor  also admitted on the stand she had suggested to Sierra he invest in certificates of deposit, although he had never done so before; and she said she and her husband had invested in CDs for several years. Madden first denied having any knowledge of the existence of the CDs before Payne opened the lock box; however, she admitted on cross-examination she did know about the CDs before that. Payne, too, testified Madden told him when they first met at Merchants Bank to open the lock box they might find some CDs with her name on them in the box. Special Chancellor Walker concluded Madden had failed to present clear and convincing evidence of her good faith in these transactions. We concur.