5 Key Lessons To Learn From Britney Spears' 13-Year Long Conservatorship Battle

By Seema Sinha

Before we get down to exploring what lessons the public can learn from Britney Spears’s conservatorship battle, reckoning some of our readers may have never heard of the infamous case, here’s a brief overview of the dispute we are trying to base our story on.

Britney Spears, a well-known American pop star, aged 42 as of writing this article, was placed under a conservatorship—in simple words, legal guardianship—in 2008, with the court appointing her father, Jamie Spears, to control the singer’s personal and financial affairs in light of her then-ongoing struggles with mental health.

To simplify the matter even further for our readers, here’s how conservatorship or guardianship is described in legal textbooks. Guardians for adults are sought to manage issues for individuals who are incapacitated. This includes people with physical disabilities, such as individuals in comas, those who suffer from advanced forms of dementia, or those experiencing other serious injuries or challenges. Guardians are also appointed in cases of intellectual disabilities. This is the category Spears’s conservatorship fell under.

Guardians are typically of two types: a personal guardian, who exerts control over the conservatee's personal matters, such as taking care of their medical decisions, and a guardian of estate, who makes financial decisions on the conservatee’s or ward’s behalf. In Spears’s case, her father was in charge of both aspects of her life until 2019, when he stepped down from the formal role due to health reasons. However, he remained in control of her finances until 2021, when the court removed him and allowed Spears to choose her own trusted guardian after she managed to convince the court her father was an inappropriate candidate for the role, citing his unfair treatment of her.

Since we’ve discussed the unfairness one of the biggest pop stars of the late ‘90s and early 2000s endured for over a decade while being involuntarily placed under this legal arrangement, here are five lessons her judicial fight can teach us.

Loss of authority over oneself 

In a brief court appearance in June 2021, according to BBC, Spears labeled her conservatorship as “abusive,” saying the arrangement was doing her “way more harm than good.” It was also during this testimony that she pleaded with the court to return her life to her, highlighting how the singer was deprived of even basic control over her personal and professional affairs. “I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship I am not able to get married and have a baby,” Spears added, further emphasizing the lack of control she had over her own life.

Per the aforementioned publication, the singer felt so betrayed by her father’s excessive control over her business that she unapologetically expressed her readiness to press conservatorship abuse charges against him.

The first and foremost lesson we feel our readers can learn from Spears’s conservatorship battle is to trust no one completely when it comes to legal arrangements. Like Mr. Spears, one’s conservators might disguise extreme control over one’s life as decisions made in the best interest of the conservatee.

Opt for professional conservators 

To avoid enduring the ordeal Britney had to bear, it is advisable for conservatees to choose their conservators themselves. Your guardian does not need to be a family member or close friend. There are many professional conservators who would gladly look after your finances or well-being for a fee.

Our advice: it’s best to let your parents, partners, and loved ones remain as such while letting an experienced attorney or professional conservator manage the less emotional aspects of your life. Spears was eventually allowed to choose her preferred guardian after her battle for freedom from her father ended.

LPAs are for people of all ages

 Situations similar to Britney’s can be avoided by having a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) in place to manage your estate or health if you become incapable of doing so yourself. While many believe LPAs are for people nearing the end of life or suffering from illness, recent events—including the Oops!... I Did It Again singer’s case—show that LPAs should be considered by people of all ages.

Know your rights

Entering into any legal arrangement should only come after thoroughly researching your rights in case of abuse of power. In the United States, laws like the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act (UGCOPAA) and similar state-specific laws have been enacted to reduce the potential harm that arrangements like conservatorship can have on individuals.

Britney Spears’s public testimony raised awareness about conservatorship abuse as she revealed how powerless and out of control she felt while under her father’s control, even though he claimed he acted in her best interests.

Fame comes with a price

Britney Spears’s case highlights that fame often comes with a cost. The pop star’s immense success, along with the pressures of public scrutiny, relentless media attention, and high expectations, contributed to her mental health struggles, which led to her father taking extreme control of her life.

According to her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, Spears was placed under Jamie’s control after a series of troubling incidents, including shaving her head, hitting a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella, and locking herself in a room with one of her children to avoid handing him over to her ex-husband.

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5 Key Lessons To Learn From Britney Spears' 13-Year Long Conservatorship Battle

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Investigation continues for woman arrested; Charges relate to elder abuse in care of her aunt

by Barry Simms

BALTIMORE — A Baltimore County woman is being held in jail without bond, accused of neglecting the care of a family member, according to charging documents obtained by 11 News Investigates.

The family member is a woman who was a double amputee and had been bedridden for 15 years.

Neighbors told 11 News they are upset and disturbed by what has happened. They did not want to speak on camera, but some said the family had just moved in several months ago.

A medical call brought first responders last week.

Baltimore County police arrested 34-year-old Brittany Brooks on three charges related to abuse and injury of a vulnerable adult.

Police said 56-year-old Antoinette Gray was found in deplorable condition inside a home on Kirkwood Road in Gwynn Oak, according to charging documents.

Brooks called 911 and said her aunt had been depressed and hadn't been eating or acting like herself for about a week.

First responders arrived and entered the home, where they found Gray in a bed in the dining room. They noticed a terrible odor and saw flies, maggots and bed bugs, according to the charging documents. Gray had bedsores and was suffering from an infection. Her condition was so bad that rescuers worried about her going into shock.

The court record read:

"Due to victim Gray's skin being stuck to the mattress, victim Gray was transported to the hospital with the mattress still attached to her back."

"She was unable to move victim Gray so she left victim Gray there until a doctor would approve a lift to move her instead of calling for immediate medical attention," court documents read.

Brooks also said Gray would refuse medical care when needed and would not let anyone tend to her. One officer said they heard Brooks tell her mother she might get arrested for neglect, court documents show.

Gray, who died Aug. 15, said she was under Brooks' care for around a year, according to charging documents. Gray thanked rescuers and medical staff for helping her.

The investigation is ongoing. Brooks has another court date set for Sept. 6.

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Investigation continues for woman arrested; Charges relate to elder abuse in care of her aunt

Disabilities Day Program Employee Sentenced to 230 Days in Jail for Exploiting Vulnerable Adults and Shoplifting

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia

USADC.Media@usdoj.gov

            WASHINGTON — Danielle Marquita Baltimore, 40, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 180 days of incarceration for financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult or elderly person, and 50 days for shoplifting. Each sentence will run concurrent to each other. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Baltimore pleaded guilty to the two charges on October 2, 2024, before the Honorable Robert Rigsby, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            According to the government’s evidence, Baltimore worked as a direct support professional at Innovative Day, LLC, a day program for adults with developmental disabilities. Baltimore’s duties included taking individuals who require assistance or supervision in a safe environment outside the home during the day. Along with her guilty plea, Baltimore admitted that on or about December 20, 2023, Baltimore took two vulnerable adults who suffer from cognitive and developmental disabilities to Walmart, located at 310 Riggs Rd NE, Washington, DC. While at Walmart, Baltimore coerced the two vulnerable adults under her care into shoplifting items on her behalf. Baltimore placed items consisting of sneakers, clothing, and various merchandise in bags and gave the bags to the victims. Baltimore instructed the victims to exit Walmart without paying for the items. After leaving Walmart, Baltimore retrieved all of the concealed items from the victims. One victim stated they felt bad for shoplifting but complied for fear Baltimore would harm them for refusing.

            This prosecution is part of the Office’s wider efforts to combat crimes against seniors and vulnerable adults. In 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia launched an initiative to address the abuse and exploitation of older adults. The Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative at the U.S. Attorney’s Office expanded its response to criminal and civil violations targeting older adults. The initiative has enabled the U.S. Attorney’s Office to develop and coordinate further its prosecution of these cases and enhance its overall support of older or vulnerable victims. The team consists of experienced prosecutors and victim advocates from across the Office, to include the Superior Court, Criminal, and Civil Divisions, as well as the Victim Witness Assistance Unit.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative partners with the D.C. Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), which is statutorily responsible for investigating and prosecuting District Medicaid provider fraud as well as abuse or neglect of residents in health care facilities and board and care facilities and of District Medicaid beneficiaries in noninstitutional or other settings.

            This prosecution is indicative of the continued collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General to investigate and prosecute cases of this kind. The government urges the public to provide tips and assistance to stop health care fraud. If you have information about individuals committing health care fraud, please call the D.C. Office of the Inspector General at 202-724-TIPS [202-724-8477].

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Inspector General Lucas acknowledged the work of those who investigated and prosecuted the case from the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of Inspector General’s MFCU. They also commended the efforts of Special Assistant United States Attorney Emmanuela Charles, on detail from the MFCU, who prosecuted the case, and MFCU Special Agents Eduardo Torre and Victor Richardson, who investigated the matter.

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Disabilities Day Program Employee Sentenced to 230 Days in Jail for Exploiting Vulnerable Adults and Shoplifting

Rochester woman to pay $80K in restitution after financially exploiting elderly man

Colleen Siverling and her ex-husband were charged with aiding and abetting financial exploitation after writing themselves checks totaling over $125,000. Siverling was sentenced on Sept. 30.

By Olivia Estright

ROCHESTER — A Rochester woman was sentenced to pay nearly $80,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to financially exploiting an elderly man, according to a sentencing order filed on Tuesday.

Colleen Marie Siverling, formerly Siverling-Keigher, 36, was charged with two counts of aiding and abetting the financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult with her now-ex-husband, Corey Jonathon Keigher, 35. The couple was charged separately, and Siverling entered a guilty plea in February.

In exchange for her guilty plea, one count was dismissed. Siverling was sentenced to five years of supervised probation and pay $79,718 in restitution. Olmsted County District Judge Pamela King ordered her to pay a monthly minimum payment of $50.

According to the criminal complaint, the pair wrote themselves checks totaling $125,025.25 from the bank account of a man over whom Siverling had a power of attorney order.

The investigation into the couple began in January 2022 after the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office received a vulnerable adult maltreatment report.

The couple told an investigator with OCSO that they had been working to improve the man's home after he went into a hospital in February 2019 for his fourth stroke.

The man, who is in his 80s, resides in a memory care facility in Olmsted County.

Siverling told the investigator that a lawyer told her to charge $25 an hour while serving as the man's power of attorney.

The couple provided no invoices or proof of any home improvements but did say they used the money to purchase new tires for their camper and bought around $4,000 dollars of jewelry for Siverling.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Keigher in March 2025.

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Rochester woman to pay $80K in restitution after financially exploiting elderly man

A 101-year-old former doctor who worked until he was 85 shared his 3 longevity secrets - including eating sardines

William emphasizes the importance of staying active throughout life, stating, "Beware of inactivity. I don't allow myself to become immobile." His daily routine includes walking and lifting weights, showcasing that regular exercise is integral to longevity. Research supports that even 20 minutes of walking daily can have significant health benefits and contribute to a longer life.

Home-cooked meals play a crucial role in William's diet. He believes, "Cooking at home makes it easier to eat fewer unhealthy foods and still enjoy nutritious options. I particularly love sardines; they are packed with nutrients and contribute to my overall health." This underscores the relevance of diet in promoting longevity.

Read at Business Insider

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A 101-year-old former doctor who worked until he was 85 shared his 3 longevity secrets - including eating sardines

Former Miami-Dade Corrections Officer accused of exploiting her elderly neighbor

Investigators say Newbold exploited the 71-year-old man even after he died.

By Jamie Guirola

A former Miami-Dade Corrections Officer is accused of exploiting her elderly neighbor by placing him in an assisted living facility and taking control of all his assets.

The former corrections officer has already had a taste of jail; however, this time, the 51-year-old is an inmate accused of taking advantage of one of the most vulnerable individuals.

“In this situation, it’s really sad to me. It’s very sad because the victim had nobody. His family had all passed on. He was severely mentally disabled, with the mentality of a 9-year-old. He had nobody to take care of him,” said Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar.

The victim, Thomas Chiappetta, couldn’t even depend on his Miramar neighbors. One of them, Carmelia Newbold, is now accused of doing the exact opposite.

Investigators say Newbold exploited the 71-year-old man even after he died.

“And then you have the defendant, who at the time was a corrections officer, a law enforcement person supposed to protect the public, and she allegedly took advantage of him. She allegedly stole his property and his assets,” said Kiar.

According to Kiar and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, a thorough investigation revealed that Chiappetta’s sister died in 2020. She was his sole caregiver. After her death, Newbold allegedly created a power of attorney, supposedly signed by Chiappetta, giving Newbold legal authority over the victim and all his assets.

But investigators say Chiappetta was mentally incapable of signing a power of attorney.

Newbold is accused of using the fraudulent power of attorney to open a probate case for Chiappetta’s sister’s estate, making herself his personal representative.

“And then, right when that happened, the defendant allegedly made a quitclaim deed where the property was then deeded to her. She then allegedly placed the victim in an assisted living facility. She was allegedly receiving the victim's Social Security checks and life insurance from both his sister,” said Kiar.

Newbold also made herself the beneficiary of Chiappetta’s life insurance. He passed away in 2022. “I think it’s disgusting. I think it’s terrible, and unfortunately, we see it all the time,” said Kiar.

Newbold is charged with exploitation of the elderly and organized fraud.

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Former Miami-Dade Corrections Officer accused of exploiting her elderly neighbor

Georgia Nurse Accused of Breaking Bones of Elderly Patients While Stealing Their Jewelry: 'You Lose Faith in Humanity'

"I can't explain the feeling that came over me from horror, nausea, wanting to scream."

by Morgan Music 

A Georgia hospital nurse accused of theft now faces additional charges of elder abuse for stealing jewelry from patients, one of whom suffered a dislocated finger when her ring was forcibly removed.

A former nurse at North Fulton Hospital, Stephanie Phillips-Siwiec, is facing multiple charges after allegedly stealing from elderly patients under her care. Phillips-Siwiec has been charged with three counts of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of the elderly, three counts of robbery, and aggravated battery. These charges come on top of prior felony theft charges according to Roswell police reports.

The investigation began after a 95-year-old patient's daughter reported that her mother's $1,000 gold bracelet went missing while receiving care at the hospital on Sept. 28. An affidavit obtained by Fox 5 revealed further complaints from other patients, including 87-year-old Patricia Gaskins, whose finger was discovered to be dislocated with a cracked bone after Phillips-Siwiec allegedly removed her rings using hand sanitizer.

"I can't explain the feeling that came over me from horror, nausea, wanting to scream," Gaskins' daughter told FOX 5 News. "You lose faith in humanity at that moment, that this happened in a place where someone is supposed to be cared for."

Phillips-Siwiec appeared in court Thursday, where she was heard saying, "Oh my god," and "That's not true," under her breath in response to the allegations. Bail was set at $140,000, and the judge ordered her to avoid contact with anyone over the age of 75 or connected to North Fulton Hospital and prohibited her from working as a nurse.

Wellstar Health System, which operates North Fulton Hospital, placed Phillips-Siwiec on administrative leave. The hospital is cooperating with authorities and issued an apology to affected patients and their families.

"These allegations, if true, go against everything we stand for as caregivers," a hospital spokesperson said. "Every person should feel safe and comfortable when they receive care."

The case is still under investigation, and authorities encourage any other potential victims to contact the Roswell Police Department.

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Georgia Nurse Accused of Breaking Bones of Elderly Patients While Stealing Their Jewelry: 'You Lose Faith in Humanity'

Mauricio Umansky's takes action against father's controlling girlfriend

Mauricio Umansky takes charge after his father’s controlling girlfriend causes financial and verbal abuse

By Web Desk 

Celebrity real estate agent Mauricio Umansky is rushing to his father’s rescue from girlfriend who's allegedly caused him financial and emotional abuse.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is reportedly seeking a conservatorship over his 81-year-old father Eduardo, whose girlfriend they are accusing of financial, emotional, and verbal abuse.

In a petition for the appointment of a probate conservator, Mauricio and his sister Sharon claim their father’s girlfriend was using his inability to "resist undue influence and fraud" for her own benefit, People reported.

The petition also cited an incident to defend their claims that “PC's [proposed conservatee] girlfriend has become more controlling, limiting and regulating who the PC can visit with.”

It stated that Mauricio and his sister once took their father to lunch without letting his girlfriend know, to which she was allegedly “enraged” and later “verbally and emotionally” abused their father.

“She has begun to isolate him and is trying to get married even though they have been together for twenty years and never decided that they wanted to marry.”

“Over the course of the past eighteen months, PC [Eduardo] and the Petitioner [Mauricio] have discovered that [the girlfriend] has taken, secreted, and appropriated more than $260,000 from PC through undue influence, whether physical or emotional, and/or fraud.”

They went on to allege that another $100,000 in expenses are unexplained just like the other cheques Eduardo wrote to his girlfriend “for no reason other than she wanted it.”

"PC is unable to stop this abuse and behavior and is asking for assistance in reigning in this spending,” the petition concluded.

The Agency founder and his sister clarified that their dad does not have a developmental disability but is “unable to properly provide for his or her personal needs for physical health, food, clothing or shelter” and is “substantially unable to manage his or her financial resources or to resist fraud or undue influence.”

Eduardo’s signature also consented to the conservatorship dated June 11, 2024.

The family is expected to appear before the court at the end of October for a judge to determine the validity of the request.

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Mauricio Umansky's takes action against father's controlling girlfriend

Disciplinary panel recommends 18-month suspension without pay for Judge Timothy Grendell

By: Nick Evans

The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct has recommended an 18-month suspension without pay for Geauga County Probate Judge Timothy Grendell. The board added that six months of that suspension should be stayed so long as Grendell doesn’t engage in further misconduct, and that the judge should receive ethics education in the time being.

The matter is now in the hands of the Ohio Supreme Court.

Grendell is a powerful and well-connected political figure in Northeastern Ohio. He served as a Republican state representative and then senator from 2001-2011, before being appointed to the Geauga County bench by Gov. John Kasich. His wife Diane Grendell, also a Republican, served two stints in the Ohio House and as an Ohio appeals court judge.

The complaint against Grendell focuses on three incidents — a private custody dispute in which the judge ordered two boys into juvenile detention for refusing to see their father, an episode where a spat between the judge and county auditor escalated to the point Grendell threatened to hold police officers in contempt, and the judge’s testimony in favor of his wife’s legislation.

In an emailed statement, Grendell said, “I respectfully disagree with the decision,” before reiterating his side of the three incidents. The judge described his years of service and volunteer work, noting Geauga county voters reelected him even after the events in the complaint occurred.

“I will appeal the OBPC decision to the Ohio Supreme Court with confidence of a better outcome,” he insisted.

The custody charges

The bulk of the board’s 88-page recommendation is devoted to Hartman-Glasier custody case. Stacy Hartman and Grant Glasier had three kids together, and after a divorce they’d been following a parenting plan that had the kids staying with Hartman for school purposes. After incidents in which the kids said Glasier was violent they refused to participate in further visitation.

When the case landed in Grendell’s court in August of 2019, the board notes, the judge “latched onto” a single sentence in a psychological evaluation “and it became his oft repeated mantra, although he repeatedly misquoted it.”

The evaluation stated parental alienation “can” have serious consquences, but the board noted in Grendell’s telling, alienation “would” have serious consequences.

And that hasn’t changed. In his statement to Ohio Capital Journal, Grendell again incorrectly insisted the report showed “letting the boys terminate their relationship with their father would cause them permanent psychological harm.”

The board goes on to describe a handful instances where Grendell said on the record, in this case that forcing the kids into visitation would be counterproductive. But that’s exactly what he did a few months later.

In May of 2020, Glasier was prepared to withdraw his motion for custody. But once the hearing began, Grendell refused to accept his motion and instead “converted” it to one enforcing Glasier’s right to parenting time. The board states Grendell “cited no applicable law or rule that permitted him to do this.” Neither Hartman nor Glasier had counsel present for the hearing. When Hartman tried to submit evidence, the judge gave a Glasier a nudge reminding he could object and warning “there’s probably a lot of hearsay in there.”

That hearing set the stage for the incident that landed their two boys in juvenile detention, and the board is unsparing in its criticism of Grendell’s actions. They note the judge failed to provide due process, gave one side legal advice, disregarded expert recommendations and earlier, private interviews he had with the children themselves. Grendell also acted contrary to his previous assertions that forcing visitation wouldn’t work and offered little to ensure the kids felt safe.

Hartman dropped off her boys a few days later with Grendell’s constable overseeing the exchange. After Hartman left the boys, 15 and 13 years old at the time, they freaked out. The constable called Grendell, and judge called another official to prepare a spot in juvenile detention.

According the board’s timeline this happened just five minutes after the drop off was scheduled to occur. The constable then called Hartman and put her on speakerphone with the boys, and told her she needed to encourage them to go with their dad. When the boys still refused, the constable called Grendell again and the judge authorized “unruly” charges because the boys weren’t obeying their mother.

All of this happened in the space of 22 minutes.

Grendell ordered the boys held separate from each other and apart from the general population because they were “co-defendants.” He prohibited any contact with their mother “because she was the ‘victim’ of their unruliness.”

The board rejected those justifications as “nonsensical” because the boys were in close contact for three hours before being booked. They added Grendell’s claims of acting in their best interests are “patently facetious.”

“Worst of all, the restrictions were purely punitive and added additional trauma to the already traumatic experience,” the board added.

The boys were held for 72 hours over the weekend and then left in a locked conference room at the court all day — the older boy in handcuffs. Grendell claimed he moved a formal hearing for the boys earlier in the day and then cancelled it altogether.

But the judge never told Hartman or the officer watching the boys. The officer described seeing the judge in street clothes and headed for the exit at 3:00 pm. He asked what he was supposed to do with the boys.

The officer told the board the judge “just said, ‘release them to the mother’ and he kept walking.”

The board also criticized Grendell for relying heavily on informal hearings without sworn testimony and an evidentiary record. Although juvenile rules allow informal proceedings, they argued, that can’t be basis for a ruling — otherwise how could anyone appeal?

Stacking it all up, they argued the judge showed “a decided ignorance of the law at best, and an intentional disregard of the law at worst,” adding he was “simply acting in an arbitrary manner to achieve his goals without even considering the law.” Further they argued his repeated refusal to accept responsibility for his own errors demonstrates “more than mere mistakes in the exercise of judicial discretion.”

The auditor dispute and legislative testimony

Geauga county auditor Charles Walder first got his job by appointment — the previous auditor resigned following a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scandal involving an IT officer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Walder instituted more stringent accounting policies, but those measures rubbed Grendell the wrong way.

The two offices have been in running dispute ever since. It boiled over in June of 2019.

The auditor had previously asked court employees to conduct business with the office through a particular employee, but two court officials went to the office in person to inquire about an unpaid invoice. The court officials were asked to leave and took a stack of paperwork that needed signatures. Those documents were originals, though, and the auditor’s office reported them as a theft.

When the local police got involved Grendell lashed out, threatening one officer with contempt charges on a public street in his judicial robes. He followed that up by visiting the police department and trying to warn the chief off from getting involved by alluding to federal charges. Grendell then went to a Geauga County Tea Party meeting and encouraged the attendees to pursue malfeasance actions against the auditor and local prosecutor.

In his statement, Grendell noted charges eventually brought against his staffers by a special prosecutor were thrown out.

Still, the board described Grendell’s testimony downplaying the incident and defending his motives were “simply not credible.”

In June of 2020, Grendell chose to testify in favor of his wife’s Truth in COVID Statistics legislation. But judges, who represent a different branch of government, face a high bar in justifying appearances before other governmental bodies. The Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct states a judge shouldn’t appear voluntarily unless their input has to do with “the law, legal system or the administration of justice,” their judicial experience gives them particular expertise or when they’re representing their own economic or legal interests.

The board noted he appeared voluntarily and testified in his capacity as a judge.

The central demand of the bill was to require state officials to report daily COVID statistics rather than just cumulative figures. Grendell asserted that amounted to reporting “half the facts — the scary half.”

The problem, as the board rightly pointed out, is “the premise of (Grendell’s) argument was simply wrong.” State officials were already reporting daily and cumulative figures. Faced with Ohio’s COVID-19 dashboard in the disciplinary hearing Grendell conceded he didn’t know it included daily case counts.

“Nonetheless,” the board noted, “he refused to concede that he was wrong when he accused (the Ohio Department of Health) of fear mongering and manipulating the numbers.”

Grendell attempted to justify his testimony by arguing that public perceptions of the pandemic had affected his court. The board dismissed this idea as “tenuous, at best, and for the most part, based on inaccurate or untrue information.” Despite claiming “firsthand” knowledge of rising domestic violence cases, Grendell acknowledged his testimony was based on one news article and anecdotal conversations. His own court’s unruly cases “had decreased, rather than increased as he claimed.”

In his statement to Ohio Capital Journal, he again described his testimony as laying out “the problems that the State’s publicly providing less than full and accurate information about Covid was causing courts and the community.” He added that he has a right to speak under the state and federal constitution.

The sanction

In weighing aggravating and mitigating factors, the board noted it received 60 letters on Grendell’s behalf in addition to the testimony of three character witnesses. But they also noted many of those individuals have connections to the judge either in his courtroom, or as part of professional and civic organizations. Only one of those witnesses said they’d reviewed the case.

Meanwhile, the board said several others offered the same description of Grendell independent of one another — a bully. They heard that from at least eight different witnesses including fellow county officials and law enforcement.

The board drew links to other disciplinary cases in which judges improperly incarcerated individuals and coerced them toward a pre-determined outcome.

“Perhaps even more concerning,” they wrote, “is (Grendell’s) utter failure to recognize and acknowledge the wrongful nature of his conduct. Respondent not only apparently believes he has done nothing wrong but testified that he would do it again.”

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Disciplinary panel recommends 18-month suspension without pay for Judge Timothy Grendell