Court Opinion

ID: 9693543
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 16:49:29.548452+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:19:48.349164
License: Public Domain

Abmextano, J.
(dissenting). I disagree with the majority’s consideration of the appraisers’ testimony. The credibility of witnesses is within the exclusive province of the trier of fact. E.g., Halperin v. Pine Plaza Corporation, 180 Conn. 85, 88, 428 A.2d 340 (1980). The court’s crediting of the evaluation presented by the defendant’s appraiser was within its sole discretion and was supported by that appraiser’s knowledge acquired by “previously working in the area” and by his testimony that the assessor’s records for the town of Bloomfield designated a great part of the land as an inland wetland area. This testimony had sufficient probative value to sustain the appraisal.
The defendant testified that he had made a general effort to sell the parcel to alleviate the estate’s cash flow problem, including listing the property with real estate brokers, and had accepted the highest bid from Jon S. Kerin, which was $62,000. There is no evidence that Kerin was in any way related to a party in interest in the conservatorship or was given any special treatment or *74advantage. The plaintiff was given an opportunity to purchase but did not accept the conservator’s offer to sell the property to her for the price offered by Kerin; nor did she produce a higher bidder. Accordingly, I cannot agree that the trial court failed properly to exercise its duty to protect and preserve the assets of the ward.
In this opinion Peters, J., concurred.