Former cop appeals firing

A Cloquet police officer who was fired by the city in early February hopes to have that decision overturned, after requesting arbitration under the Veterans Preference statute. As that case makes its way through the Bureau of Mediation Services, it remains a mystery why Laci Silgjord was fired.

However, the police officer is involved in another case — regarding the estate of a woman who died in 2020 — that may be related to her dismissal.

Silgjord participated in a formal unsupervised probate hearing (held via Zoom) on Thursday, March 17, regarding the estate of Joan Arney, a Cloquet resident who died in October 2020. Arney and Silgjord were friends. Silgjord was appointed her legal guardian after she discovered the elderly woman on the floor of her mobile home after Arney had a stroke. Silgjord served as her guardian for 47 days, until she died.

Following Joan Arney’s death, according to court documents, both Silgjord and Joan’s estranged husband, Roger Arney, petitioned to be appointed the personal representative of Joan Arney’s estate because she left no will.

For a time, the courts allowed the competing petitions to proceed. Approximately a year after Joan Arney’s death, Sixth District Carlton County judge Rebekka Stumme ruled that Roger Arney should be the personal representative — because he is the only surviving heir.

Silgjord’s evidence that Joan Arney had taken out a restraining order against her estranged husband and started divorce proceedings (which were never completed) did not matter in the determination of who had the right to be a personal representative or not.

Next to fall were Silgjord’s claims against the estate: $7,454 of expenses and time spent as guardian, plus $71,601 for the value of Joan Arney’s estate, and an additional $86,611 that Joan Arney inherited from an aunt posthumously. The court disallowed all of Silgjord’s claims on Jan. 17, giving her 45 days to contest the disallowance.

That was the purpose of the hearing March 17.

Silgjord argued in court and in documents that Joan Arney intended to look after Silgjord and her family and that Roger Arney was no part of Joan’s life. “She fled from him, she was afraid of him, she wanted nothing to do with him,” Silgjord said.

“I wouldn’t be here if there was a doting husband that would have been there to care for Joan for the four days she suffered on the floor, so unfortunately I got put into a position where I had to respond and I had to be there for Joan when nobody else would,” Silgjord told the court, adding that she cared about Joan and wanted to help.

Roger Arney’s attorney, Abagail Nouska, argued that Silgjord had no right to make any claims on her friend’s estate, other than her expenses as guardian, which Nouska said were filed incorrectly and included $6,900 for her time, billed at $50 an hour billed in one-hour increments.

“It feels wrong that somebody is going to befriend an elderly person who suffers, again, from dementia and severe medical conditions, and then think they’re entitled to their entire estate,” Nouska told the judge.

Silgjord expressed frustration that her character and reputation were being attacked “when all I did was be there for Joan when Roger wasn’t,” she said.

“I’ve had trauma from this entire thing to begin with,” she said at one point.

Silgjord said she wasn’t in it for the money, promising that she would donate anything she received to charity in Joan’s memory. Silgjord also said she suggested Roger donate the money to charity.

“Judge, this case was simple,” Nouska said. “At the time that Ms. Arney passed, her entire estate belonged to Mr. Arney. That cannot change because apparently Ms. Silgjord wants to donate things to charity. She hasn’t filed a statement of claim asking that the money goes to charity, she’s filed a statement of claim asking that the money goes to her.”

Judge Stumme told both parties that she would take the arguments under advisement and review the exhibits and laws again and issue a written order. As of presstime, that order had not yet been filed.