END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE

Legal guardians steal millions from elderly, report says

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 01:24:00 +0000

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/legal-guardians-steal-millions-from-elderly-report-says-987975.html

This report discusses the GAO investigation of guardianship that reported abuse and exploitation.

GAO Report Casts Shadow Over Guardianships

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:46:00 +0000

The GAO report of guardianship is an indictment of the probate court system that appoints guardians and has responsiblity for monitoring them and holding them accountable. Abuse and Financial Exploitation is rampant in a system that operates under the guise of protection and color of law.

GAO Report on Guardianship Released

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:22:00 +0000

The GAO report on guardianship at the request of Senator Herb Kohl who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Aging has been released. This report focused primarily on abuse by guardians. It shows a system that is fraught with abuse, neglect, financial exploitation and lack of oversight. Many of us sent cases to the GAO and they received hundreds of reports of abuse from family members and victims. It is time for federal intervention and it is going to take more than just training judges and court personel. We need this industry to be regulated to ensure and enforce checks and balances and to stop the looting free for all by guardians and attorneys that is occuring in so many jurisdictions.

www.stopelderabuse.net

Dallas woman fights for control after bank asks court to appoint guardian

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:34:00 +0000

Baldacci expected to sign bill on guardianship

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:19:00 +0000

AUGUSTA - Gov. John Baldacci is expected to soon sign a bill raising the legal bar for appointing a guardian, such as for someone with developmental disabilities or an elderly person.

We need the legal bar to be raised in every state and for the States to retroactively review all guardianships and dismiss all these guardianships that were only put in place to loot estates.

Courtney Love loses legal guardianship of Frances Bean

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:17:00 +0000

Courtney Love loses guardianship of her seventeen year old daughter on the grounds she is an unfit mother? Why wait until the daughter is almost 18 years old?

It's too bad social services cannot just look out for this girl until she turns 18 a bit down the road.

Money is often a primary driving factor in guardianship cases.

See our petition at www.endguardianshipabuse.net

Read the complete article here
http://www.avclub.com/articles/courtney-love-loses-legal-guardianship-of-frances,36322/

Theft brings up issues on law firm's actions | Portland Press Herald

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:58:00 +0000

Portland Lawyer John Duncan was sentenced to 28 months for stealing over $300,000 from his elderly clients and is serving a 28 month sentence in federal prison. Now there are questions about the other attorneys with the firm and his partners that are being raised.

It is time for everyone including the lawyers to be held accountable the financial exploitation of the elderly.

Theft brings up issues on law firm's actions | Portland Press Herald

Lawyer arrested in elder abuse case - Crime & Court News - Fresnobee.com

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:44:00 +0000

Another Lawyer Stealing from the Elderly. This time after becoming his clients Trustee.
This Clovis Lawyer has been arrested on charges he embezzled $100,000 from his client.

Lawyers are fleecing the estates of elderly citizens through fiduciary instruments allo over this country.

This is the worst kind of silent crimes.

Where instruments like guardianships, power of attorney or trusts that are intested to protect the property of a vulnerable person are actually used to steal their estates.

Read the whole story here...

Ex-Clovis lawyer arrested in elder abuse case - Crime & Court News - Fresnobee.com

Care2: If your elderly parent(s) were unable to live alone anymore, would you take them into your home or find an assisted living facility for them?

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:40:00 +0000

Care2: If your elderly parent(s) were unable to live alone anymore, would you take them into your home or find an assisted living facility for them?

HELP STOP ELDER ABUSE & GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE ! - The Petition Site

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:46:00 +0000

HELP STOP ELDER ABUSE & GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE ! - The Petition Site

Shared via AddThis

Confronting Elder Abuse

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Elder Abuse is a very serious crime and is recognized and punished as a third degree FELONY in Texas. A Felony is considered to be a crime of a grave and atrocious nature and is an offense punishable by death or imprisonment in the state penitentiary of Texas.
Even though my sister and I worked diligently to help our dad and our mom live out the lives which God intended, we never suspected that an abusing caregiver was working even more diligently to end our parent's lives. We were naive and trusting, believing that someone with the job of "caregiver" actually cared about her patients. We hope that by relating our experience, by telling others what we have learned, we may save some other parent, some other loved one from fear, abuse and an early death.
My sister and I believe that our dad was one of the greatest individuals of his generation. We will always love our wonderful father, and we will never forget that our dad died before his time.

(continue reading) http://www.iannarino.us/elderabuse.php

Guardianship Warning

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:37:00 +0000

What Everyone Should Know About Guardianships
A Last Resort - Avoid it like the Plague
CLICK HERE FOR GUARDIANSHIP WARNING BLOG

Dohn Hohn Says This About Guardianship

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Dohn SAYS
Guardianships are as big a violation of person's civil rights as having that person committed.

It's not like you're just a few rights short of full citizenship. Somebody else controls your life, as if you're a child. But they do things with you that we wouldn't do to kids

YOU MUST READ THIS

http://www.mouthmag.com/says/dohnsays.htm

Back Home for a Mother Stuck in Texas by Legal Feud

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:23:00 +0000

By TINA KELLEY
Published: April 29, 2006
New York Times

Back Home for a Mother Stuck in Texas by Legal Feud

An ailing New Jersey woman with a $25 million fortune is placed under a Texas probate court's authority while visiting her daughter. The cost of this guardianship case must have been outrageous.

(read story here)

Help! Corrupt officials in N.J. stealing my dad's estate! (Ocean County Public Guardian

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:09:00 +0000

This is a plea for help from the family of a New Jersey resident whose estate is being pillaged by the Office of the Public Guardian in Ocean City, New Jersey.

Read More...
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/com/1180175282.html

Class Action - Youths Sue Former Judges

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:03:00 +0000

US

70 Youths Sue Former Judges in Detention Kickback Case

By IAN URBINA

Published: February 27, 2009

The suit contends that the judges, who pleaded guilty to a scheme that involved taking kickbacks to put young offenders in detention centers, “used kids as commodities that could be traded for cash.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/us/27judges.html

The Nightmare of Living Probate

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:38:00 +0000

As Carolyn Henderson anxiously watched her husband's flickering vital signs on the Intensive Care Unit monitor, she considered the irony of their circumstances. When she and Kirk planned how they might spend their thirtieth wedding anniversary, this sickbed vigil was the farthest thing from
their minds. But then on the very day they planned to celebrate 30 years of marriage, Kirk Henderson, a robust, health-conscious, ex-pro football player in his mid-fifties, unexpectedly suffered a stroke. As the hours ticked by with no sign that Kirk would regain consciousness, Carolyn considered for the first time that he might not pull through.

Although Kirk didn't die, he hasn't fully recovered. Today, two years after his stroke, the aftermath of his illness has rendered him barely able to walk or use his right arm. His speech is slurred, his thinking processes are muddled, and he will probably need physical therapy for the rest of his life.
Carolyn tries not to dwell on the tragedies of her husband's illness, emphasizing instead the miraculous progress he has made in so many areas. But just when she starts to think things are returning to normal, she's reminded that in the eyes of the law, her husband is as good as dead.
Declared mentally incompetent in a court of law, Kirk Henderson no longer has the right to make any decisions for himself. He can't sign a check, conduct a financial transaction, or even decide how he wishes to be cared for.

When they least expected it, the Henderson’s discovered what insurance companies have been tying to tell us for years. For most of our lives, the greatest risk to our well-being isn't death. It's the ever-growing likelihood of becoming seriously ill or injured. And when illness or injury makes us
unable to manage our affairs for ourselves, we may face an ordeal nearly as debilitating as our disability itself. It's a legal process commonly called Living Probate, and for those who must endure it, it is often a living nightmare.

WHAT IS LIVING PROBATE?

Many people know that probate occurs when someone dies with a will in force, or intestate without a will. This legal process is so-called death probate, and it establishes the validity of the deceased's will (or when there is no will, determines the deceased's heirs). The probate process identifies and establishes values for the assets of the deceased; ensures that creditors are paid; sees the courts and attorneys get their fees for handling the probate; and lastly, distributes to the heirs whatever remains of the estate after all debts and expenses have been paid.

What most Americans don't know, however, is that they may find themselves in the midst of probate while they're still alive. This living probate ensnares many of those who become unable to make personal or financial decisions as a result of serious injury or debilitating illness.
Few can argue with the idea behind living probate. Its goal is to protect an individual who can no longer protect himself or herself, and it seeks to identify the person or persons best suited to take over the individual's financial affairs and personal care. That's the theory. But in practice, living
probate can be a costly, time-consuming, bureaucratic and public process that often achieves an outcome vastly different from what the individual would have wanted, just like death probate.
......

Continue reading here
http://www.morristrust.com/uploads/reportfiles/The%20Nightmare%20of%20Living%20Probate.pdf

Human rights group will hear complaints

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Posted May 11, 2009 @ 01:08 PM
Rock Island —
A human rights organization will review complaints people with disabilities have made against certain agencies in northwest Illinois.The Peoria Regional Human Rights Authority of Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission will meet at 1 p.m. May 20 at the Robert Young Center, 2200 Third Ave., Rock Island.The Peoria commission is investigating cases in Peoria, Rock Island and Tazewell counties.Anyone who believes the rights of a person with disabilities is or has been violated, may call the commission at (309) 693-5001. Complainants names are confidential.

http://www.galesburg.com/news/x1393571222/Human-rights-group-will-hear-complaints

Out of money, Excelsior woman still fighting

noreply@blogger.com (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO END GUARDIANSHIP ABUSE) — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:19:00 +0000

By JAMES ELI SHIFFER, Star Tribune
Last update: April 28, 2009 - 10:58 PM

After watching court-appointed officials spend more than $600,000 of her money, Peggy Greer is returning to court to try to win it back.
Greer, 86, of Excelsior, has filed suit in Hennepin County District Court, claiming that her former guardian and conservator failed to protect her assets, heed her wishes and otherwise fulfill their duties to look after her best interests.

In March 2005, a Hennepin County probate judge ruled that Greer, then recovering from painkiller addiction, was unable to make decisions for herself, and appointed Professional Fiduciary Inc. as her guardian and Wells Fargo Elder Services as her conservator.

Over the next two years, the guardian and conservator spent $672,000 on health costs, attorney's fees and other expenses, despite objections from Greer and other family members that the spending was excessive and unjustified.

Greer won back her rights in July 2007, after her assets were exhausted and the guardian and conservator no longer opposed their dismissal. After the Star Tribune reported in February about Greer's experience, attorneys David Bland and Andrew Pieper of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi took on her case.

(continue reading)
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/43917782.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU