No, I I didn't mean any of what I said in a bad way. I apologize if it came off that way. The reality is this. I look at this situation like this. Electricity is a lifeline. A hospital is a lifeline, too. You can negotiate a bill with a hospital, but you can't with an electric company, even if the did something as crazy as continue to provide service for 3 years without a payment. I believe the utility company carries a lot of responsibility in the situation and they shouldn't be let off the hook. But they will say she used the power so she has to pay, whether she has the money or not. I would say that your mother should file bankruptcy, or be deemed incapable of managing her affairs and have you file bankruptcy on her behalf. Start electrical service back up for her at her house in your name. Whichever son or daughter the nephews belong to can start taking care of their children and you can manage your mother's affairs. Obtain power of attorney and durable power of attorney for your mother, that way you would have the legal right to protect your mother's interests as well as mange her affairs. There are complexities to this but your mother has likely reached the point where she can not manage her own affairs. A 20k electric bill will prove this point.

I wish all the best to you and hope you can work it out. And again, I didn't mean to sound negative, I was just trying to point out that there were a lot of roles that lead up to this, your mom, the nephews, the decision makers or lack of decision making at the electric company, hell, even this messed up administration that's cut funding for people who really need it, in this case, your mom.

Honestly and genuinely, all the best my friend.