Over $1M for library at stake in disputed estate

By Cliff Lewis

This week, Judge Joseph Rehkamp is considering the disputed estate of Thomas Bucher, valued at about $1.25 million. Bucher’s family is contesting a 2003 draft of his will, which disinherited all relatives and left the entirety of his estate to the Lancaster Public Library. According to Bucher’s father, former judge Wilson Bucher, the deceased was suffering from an “insane delusion” at the time of the will’s composition.

Attorney Steven Blair, also Wilson Bucher’s son-in-law, is representing the family. Robert Hallinger of Apple & Yost represented the library with the aid of a lawyer from the State Attorney General’s office.

During Tuesday’s session, Blair brought a number of witnesses to the stand with the purpose of proving Thomas Bucher’s insanity and excessive paranoia in 2003. An earlier round of witnesses included individuals who had been consulted by Thomas Bucher in 2003 in the process of redrafting his will.

Under Blair’s questioning, Attorney Rory Connaughton confirmed that, when Thomas Bucher consulted with his firm—Hartman, Underhill & Brubaker—in March of 2003, Bucher had expressed a number of concerns regarding his family’s actions, including the following suspicions:

• That his father was financially “propping up” Thomas Bucher’s brothers-in-law (Blair and Michael Owen)
• That his father was not honest with him regarding gifts being given to other family members
• That Blair was a “wife beater”
• That Blair and Owen were intimidating Wilson Bucher with regard to financial decisions
• That Blair had entered Thomas Bucher’s home without permission

Under cross-examination from Hallinger, Connaughton said that, at a meeting with Thomas Bucher in March, the late Bucher maintained a reasonable demeanor and was not at all “agitated.” Connaugton also said that such accusations are not uncommon in his practice, admitting that he has “absolutely” encountered more exaggerated fears than those expressed by Thomas Bucher.

Pat Kelley, a Quarryville-based private investigator, testified that, in 2003, she was commissioned by Thomas Bucher to verify Blair’s certification as an attorney and Owens’ employment in Washington D.C. When questioned by Hallinger, Kelley maintained that inquiries like this are not unusual in her experience. Had Thomas Bucher’s disposition or the nature of his inquiry appeared strange to Kelley, she said that she would have further discussed the matter with him.

Blair later questioned Ted Brubaker, the Attorney from Hartman, Underhill & Brubaker who consulted most directly with Thomas Bucher in 2003. Implicitly suggesting paranoia on Bucher’s part, Blair asked Brubaker to confirm that Bucher had also sought assistance with several other items when redrafting his will in 2003. According to Brubaker, his client did seek to verify the title on his own home and to consult about the estate of his aunt Helen Bucher. Regarding this estate, Thomas Bucher had objected to the distribution determined by his siblings and in-laws, which led to the subsequent rift.

Brubaker said that, in light of family discord, and the fact that he had first obtained his home as a gift from his father, Thomas Bucher simply wanted to affirm that he owned the property “free and clear.” With regard to any other suspicions expressed by Bucher, Brubaker stressed that these were “concerns” and not necessarily “beliefs.”

Later in the hearing, Blair questioned Anne Owen, sister of the late Thomas Bucher. Owen testified that—apart from a seemingly paranoid outburst in 1975, which led to his temporary hospitalization—Thomas Bucher’s relationships with his parents, siblings, and in-laws were all healthy and affectionate. It was not until after the 2003 clash over Helen Bucher’s estate that her brother began treating his family with a cold demeanor, Owen said.

Although much of Owens’ testimony served to establish that family relations were rather pleasant until 2003, one particular statement from Owens’ past deposition took center stage in her questioning and cross-examination.

In a deposition from last fall, Owen had explained that, in the course of a confrontation over the Helen Bucher estate, Thomas Bucher’s father had told him “‘You are out of the family,’ or something like that.” Later in those statements, Owen drew a connection between this exchange and Thomas Bucher’s later withdrawal from family life. In Tuesday’s hearing, however, when questioned again by Blair about this account, Owen characterized her father’s words as far more benign:

“I knew he had said something disarming and different, but I really didn’t remember what it was,” Owen said. Hallinger later noted that Owen, in her deposition, described her father as “angry” when he went to confront his son this occasion. “No,” Owen quickly responded, “It was not in anger. It was in love.”

The hearing will reconvene tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.