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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Eagle Point school district violated union members' constitutional rights, federal judge says Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies Actor Jim Belushi joins in Holly Theatre drive in Medford, will appear in parade Burglars ransack east Medford home, steal possessions worth $30,000 Suspect sought in weekend stabbing at Minute Market in southwest Medford Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Eagle Point school district violated union members' constitutional rights, federal judge says Burglars ransack east Medford home, steal possessions worth $30,000 Suspect sought in weekend stabbing at Minute Market in southwest Medford Rogue River man arrested on suspicion of burglarizing church Klamath Falls father and son implicated in cockfighting training operation Politics and Elections Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies Arthur I. 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Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies ... Actor Jim Belushi joins in Holly Theatre drive in Medford, will appear in parade ... Eagle Point school district violated union members' constitutional rights, federal judge says ... Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies ... Actor Jim Belushi joins in Holly Theatre drive in Medford, will appear in parade ... Former Medford detective accused of exploiting man with dementia Suit filed by daughter of wealthy, ailing lawyer alleges marriage was a sham Comment By Steven DuBois The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Steven DuBois The Associated Press Posted Mar. 27, 2015 at 1:48 PM Updated Mar 28, 2015 at 2:21 PM By Steven DuBois The Associated Press Posted Mar. 27, 2015 at 1:48 PM Updated Mar 28, 2015 at 2:21 PM » Social News PORTLAND — A former Medford police detective who specialized in investigating elder abuse has been accused of using her expertise to exploit the dementia of a Portland lawyer before his death last year. The daughter of Victor Calzaretta says in a $4 million lawsuit filed in Portland that she was in line to inherit his estate until Calzaretta married the detective, Sue Campbell, after a brief courtship. Calzaretta changed his will in 2011 to make his wife the executor and sole beneficiary. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Diane Miller of La Center, Wash., says the detective was familiar with the signs of dementia and married Calzaretta — her elder by 13 years — "not because she loved him," but to get access to his estate. "Campbell's actions were taken for the improper purpose of financially exploiting an elderly demented man for her own financial benefit," the lawsuit states. Sue Campbell Calzaretta declined comment by phone Thursday. Her lawyer, Jim Callahan, said his client adamantly denies the allegations, and he spoke no further. Victor Calzaretta, who died at 72, worked as a police officer before switching careers in the early 1980s and, according to the lawsuit, amassing an estate worth about $4 million. In July 2003, he made out a will leaving his estate to his second wife, Anita. If she died before him, the estate would go to Miller. Anita Calzaretta died in 2004. The lawsuit states Calzaretta began showing signs of dementia in 2008, and it worsened the following year. Toward the end of his legal career, Calzaretta was hit with two negligence complaints, court records show. One of them was filed by a client whose lawsuit was tossed by a judge early into a November 2010 trial. A news report from the time said the judge sharply criticized Calzaretta for his lack of preparation, including his inability to even say when his next witnesses would show. According to the lawsuit, Calzaretta had been friends with Campbell and bought her a wedding dress in 1994. The two, however, went years without seeing each other until Campbell invited Calzaretta to attend a funeral with her in February 2010. They started dating and got married two months later. Campbell worked for years investigating abuse cases involving the elderly. In 2007, the state Department of Human Services honored her as one of 11 "Everyday Heroes" in the fight against the crime. The agency said in a news release that the detective went "above and beyond" her professional duty by taking victims of elder abuse on outings, walking their dogs, baking them desserts and celebrating holidays with them. Calzaretta's will, a copy of which was found in Jackson County Probate Department records, is similar to the 2003 terms except that Sue Calzaretta's name is substituted for the second wife. If Sue Calzaretta had preceded her husband in death, the estate would have gone to Diane Miller. Victor Calzaretta's other surviving child, Richard Calzaretta of Vancouver, Wash., was shut out in both versions. Following Calzaretta's death, Campbell also inherited three residential properties, two of them in Medford, the complaint says. Tara Lawrence, the lawyer for Diane Miller, said her client could not be interviewed and she wouldn't discuss Miller's financial situation. "(The lawsuit) has so much less to do with finances," Lawrence said Thursday. "It certainly plays a factor. But Diane is bringing this for justice for her father." One of Victor Calzaretta's siblings, William Calzaretta, said he couldn't shed any light on his brother's relationship with Sue Campbell. But, he added, the family also didn't know anything about Victor's first and second wives until he married them. "He never communicated with us," he said. Mail Tribune reporter Thomas Moriarty contributed to this report. Reach him at 541-776-4471 or by email at [email protected]. Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty. By Steven DuBois The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Steven DuBois The Associated Press Posted Mar. 27, 2015 at 1:48 PM Updated Mar 28, 2015 at 2:21 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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