Judges in Maricopa County Probate Court appear to be cracking down on the kinds of legal fees that have been allowed to deplete the life savings of some individuals placed under the court's protection.Judges in the past month have proposed tough limits on what attorneys and private fiduciaries can charge and have asked lawyers to justify their bills and to waive hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. The heightened scrutiny signals a change in how the court monitors and reviews cases.
The most dramatic example came during a Nov. 18 hearing when Judge Robert Myers asked several attorneys in one case to voluntarily give up nearly $300,000 in legal fees. They obliged.
"The presiding judge of the court and the presiding probate judge have made it clear that things are going to be different," Myers said during a recent interview. "There is going to be oversight of fiduciaries and lawyers."
The changes come amid an ongoing investigation by The Arizona Republic, which has found that judges rarely step in to limit or reverse fees in cases, even when wards of the court end up broke and on state-paid care.
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Maricopa County Probate Court - Court Tightens Its Scrutiny of Fees Charged
This is great news for Maricopa Co.
ReplyDeleteIf this probate court does crack down on this white collar crime then I think folks may want to retire there instead of in Volusia County Florida to avoid professional guardian/thiefs like Jetta Getty of Young at Heart Elderly Services & her business associate Edith Myett who has recently been arrested but is still advertising as one to assist the elderly. Made my day!!
It's about time!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great win for some. But as in the Marie Long case, you see the "tightening" directed at her protetors instead of her exploiters.
ReplyDeleteSo we can't be real comfortable with what anything in Arizona yet.
I don't want to be negative, but I fear this is only a show.
ReplyDeleteIs Judge Robert Myers involved in the Marie Long case?
ReplyDelete