World of the Bizarre

'Dead' woman spends years proving she is alive

By T.K. Randall
January 14, 2021 ·  4 comments

Imagine being declared deceased and nobody will believe that you are alive... Image Credit: PD - Joe Gratz The 58-year-old's troubles began in 2004 when she was ordered by an industrial tribunal to pay damages to a former member of staff at her company who had been let go after a contract fell through.

The ruling ended up never being enforced because it was against the company, not Pouchain herself.

Then in 2016, an appeals court made the false assumption that she was dead, something that her disgruntled former employee also later confirmed, despite the fact that she was very much alive.

As a result, she was removed from the official records, which invalidated all her bank accounts, her driving license and any other documentation that proved her existence.She has since spent three years in legal limbo attempting to set the record straight, but remains officially 'dead' despite obviously being alive and having this fact confirmed by her doctor.

"I have no identity papers, no health insurance, I cannot prove to the banks that I am alive... I'm nothing," she said. "It's time someone said 'stop'."

"If I don't fight nobody is going to fight for me."

"My husband's grandmother is 102... she has lived through many things, including the war, but she says she's never suffered anything as hard as I've been through."

In the flesh, #JeannePouchain appears very much alive and well. Convincing the French authorities of this has proven another matter. https://t.co/jCwmNszcV1 #France

— Francisco Taveira (@jftaveira1993) January 12, 2021

Source: The Guardian | Comments (4)

Tags: Death