An 11-year-old cat from Berwyn, Boots, was sentenced to death according to her owner’s Will. Georgia Lee Dvorak’s Will stipulated that any cat or cats she owned at the time of her death be euthanized “in a painless, peaceful manner” by a veterinarian’s lethal injection.
Fifth Third Bank’s trust officers who were managing Dvorak’s estate refused to have Boots euthanized. Fifth Third Bank took the issue to the Cook County Probate Court to have that provision of Dvorak’s Will set aside because it had found a shelter to take care of Boots.
Fifth Third argued that Dvorak’s Will evidenced her dedication to the humane treatment of animals because of the 12 charities mentioned in her Will, 10 were animal-related charities. Because Illinois had not ruled on this issue before, Fifth Third’s attorneys pointed to cases in Pennsylvania and Vermont where such clauses were struck down for public policy reasons.
Cook County Probate Court Judge Susan Coleman allowed Fifth Third Bank to find living arrangements for Boots, and she was placed in a no-kill shelter and will remain there during her life.
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