The state took an oceanfront home, a car and beloved cat from a Rockland man while he was living in a state-run mental hospital, according to a lawsuit filed by his sister.

Earlier this year, the state sold oceanfront property owned by William T. Dean Jr., who was living at the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, at below-market rates despite efforts by relatives to keep the longtime estate in the family.

A lawsuit filed Friday in Knox County Superior Court also claims that the state had his cat euthanized and that considerable personal property is unaccounted for....

In addition to the sale of the property, the sister stated in the lawsuit that DHHS euthanized her brother’s beloved cat Caterpillar and sold his cherished Cadillac without the family being notified.