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Last week, 2 days before we went for our tax appointment we received a letter saying that our accountant had left the company. However, we should come for our appointment and someone else would see us. That was Thursday. We thought it was strange because we knew a friend had seen him the previous Saturday. Friday, I tried to find out if he had opened up somewhere else. The man did our taxes for 25 years. So we went in and saw another elderly accountant. I asked if he at least knew if our accountant was all right. He said that as far as he knew all was well. However, he couldn't do our taxes right then. He talked to us for 15 minutes, took our records and said we could pick up our taxes at the end of the week. We left feeling dissatisfied. Turbo Tax could do what this guy was going to do for us. When we get home there is a letter. Our accountant has opened a new office. I thought for a while. I thought about how he was kind to us when my husband lost his job and did our taxes for half his usual fee. I thought about the good advice he gave us. I thought about the fact that he is still working because he is paying for his mentally ill son and his problems and the problems he caused others. He has always been a kind man and as far as I know, has always done right by others. He has always done right by us. I called him and made an appointment. I called the company and left a message. I just said that he had always been our accountant and had I known he was opening an office, I would never have come in and I would be by to pick up our documents, please do not process them. I did so and they did not charge us anything.

Today I went in and asked what happened. I knew that he had merged with this company due to financial difficulties after a problem with his son and due to his making good on his son's debts. I expected to hear that there was a parting of the ways due to a disagreement over wages or policy or some other, similar issue. I was entirely unprepared for what I heard. He said, quite simply, "They beat me up". Dumbfounded doesn't cover it. I didn't get a lot of details, but apparently there was a disagreement over something and a 60 year old man and a 35 year old man sent my 80 year old accountant to the hospital. "Did you call the police?" I asked. He said that he did, but that his attackers then claimed that they had called. My accountant said that he "didn't want to be vindictive" and thought that these men might have Bipolar Disorder. I told him that that's as may be, they still don't get to put people in the hospital. He said that he was speaking with an attorney because they were also suing him since he opened his own office again, claiming he was stealing clients. My accountant now walks with a cane. He said that he fears his spine is permanently damaged. He has had only 1 physical therapy appointment. He said how impressed he is with his physical therapist. I told him that they can work wonders, which I truly believe. But I was and remain appalled.