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A 99-year-old bedridden woman is facing criminal charges after she failed to appear for jury duty. Marion Lenko recently received a jury summons at her senior care facility.
In December, a summons was sent to her son-in-law Edward Ritchuk, who lives in a suburb of Montreal, Canada, ordering Lenko to appear in January.
"When I first received the letter, I thought it was a joke," Ritchuk told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Ritchuk emailed Lenko's son, who lives in Florida, but he never sent a response indicating that his mother is unable to serve as a juror.
As a result, Lenko is now facing criminal charges.
"Then this week, I received a letter from the justice ministry saying that she has to appear on the 31st of January in court or procedures will be taken against her," Ritchuk said.
He tried to call the court to get the matter sorted out but could not get a hold of anybody.
Ritchuk is unsure what to do next because somebody has to show up in court. Because Lenko is bedridden, her son, who is legally responsible for her, would have to appear in court.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice did not comment on the specific case but instead told the CBC that people over the age of 65 can request an exemption by filling out a form or calling the local sheriff's office.