Marie Long Wants Her Money Back

Attorneys for an 88-year-old widow left penniless by her trip through Maricopa County's probate court are asking that the old lady's money be returned until a new trial is held – one presided over by a judge who doesn't play favorites.

In their 70-page motion, attorneys for Marie Long lay out a pattern of treatment in which Commissioner Lindsay Ellis sided with and even lauded the attorneys and fiduciaries who wound up with all of the widow's money while ignoring requests from the attorneys who were trying to protect her assets as they dwindled to nothing.

The pattern of “blatant partiality, bias and hostility” culminated in Ellis giving a highly improper heads-up to the favored attorneys this spring, sending them an advance copy of her ruling that approved hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees they collected from Marie and lambasted the old lady's legal team.

But their motion for a new trial goes beyond her eye popper of a case and calls into question that coziest of probate practices, the one that allows lawyers and fiduciaries to collect fees first and seek approval (which they virtually always get) later.

“It is a long-standing practice that invites unfettered financial abuse of the incapacitated, incompetent and the elderly,” Marie's attorneys wrote. “This practice must stop.”

Marie was worth $1.3 million when she suffered a stroke in 2005 and came under the protection of probate court. Today, she's destitute and depends on taxpayers for support.

Full Article and Source:
From Probate Files, Elderly Widow Wants Her Money Back

See Also:
Probate Judge's E-mail Raises Eyebrows