Sally R. Zanger, J.D.

Sally R. Zanger, J.D.

Sally R. Zanger is an attorney with the Connecticut Legal Rights Project. She has worked for Connecticut Legal Services, Prisoners Legal Services of New York, had in private practice, where she worked exclusively in the field of special education and disability rights. Ms. Zanger taught Child Advocacy and Disability Rights in the Clinical Law Program at the Yale Law School. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and received her BA, with honors, from Brandeis University. She has served on the boards of several organizations that advocate for people with disabilities.

On October 24th, 2011, Ms. Zanger successfully argued before the Connecticut Supreme Court in the case of Gross v Rell, which raised the legal question of the extent of immunity that should be given to court appointed conservators, attorneys, and nursing homes when they violate the rights of persons under conservatorship (guardianship). In a ground-breaking ruling, the court held that conservators appointed by probate court only have limited immunity and “quasi-judicial immunity” does not extend to lawyers appointed in probate proceedings. Nursing homes do not have immunity “under any circumstances.”

*Hartford Courant: State Supreme Court Holds Lawyers, Conservators Accountable In Probate Cases Connecticut Supreme Court decision in Gross v. Rell (April 3, 2012) US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit - decision in Gross v. Rell (May 20, 2009)