Santa Clara County judges set new curbs on fees for court-appointed care of disabled, elderly

Santa Clara County judges on Thursday took a major step toward cracking down on runaway costs that elderly and disabled adults can face for court-appointed care, setting new curbs on fees and stepping up scrutiny of inflated charges.

The proposed new rules, which would start next year, come 2½ months after an investigation by this newspaper revealed how the local court has been lax in stopping estate managers, known as fiduciaries, from running up six-figure bills on mostly voiceless adults.

"These are some of the most vulnerable members of our community, many left with very little assets to see them through their lives," assistant presiding Judge Brian Walsh said in announcing the new rules Thursday. "Our court must be the guardian of those assets by overseeing how they're spent."

Walsh said the new rules would give Santa Clara County's court "the most comprehensive rule affecting private professional fiduciaries in the state of California." Critics say the changes are long overdue. The newspaper's investigation found that, unlike other Bay Area counties, Santa Clara County has had few local rules restricting conservators' fees.

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Santa Clara County judges set new curbs on fees for court-appointed care of disabled, elderly

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Santa Clara judge reconsiders his early ruling on a trustee excessive fee case

The Mercury News' "Loss of Trust" Series (Anchor article)