Former Denver court clerk blew whistle 10 years ago about conservatorship system

Clerk won a settlement in a wrongful termination lawsuit

 

Photo by: Former Denver court clerk blew whistle 10 years ago about conservatorship system.

Denver7

By: Jennifer Kovaleski , Joe Vaccarelli

 

DENVER — It’s been 10 years since Caroline Cammack lost her job at Denver’s Probate Court and spoke out against a guardianship and conservatorship system she said was failing to protect vulnerable Coloradans from abuse.

“They fired me because I was a whistleblower. I just can’t believe that in this country we can’t protect our vulnerable citizens,” she said. “I don’t think anything has changed.”

Today, Denver7 Investigates found the same system continues to bleed estates
with little oversight despite warnings from people such as Cammack about the broken system that went unheeded.

“It was the money that was lost — and we’re talking about millions of dollars in
some estates,” Cammack said. “The real tragedy of it all is that they continue to
do this.”

It starts with a petition to the court, something anyone can file if they think a
person is mentally unfit to handle their life. If a judge agrees, and no family
members can step in, they can place the person under either guardianship or
conservatorship with, essentially, a stranger who then has control over all
aspects of a person’s life and finances.

Guardians are responsible for taking care of a person’s medical and personal
needs, while a conservator handles all their finances and legal decisions. They
can each charge large fees to the family’s estate for doing work on their behalf.  (Click to continue reading.)

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Former Denver court clerk blew whistle 10 years ago about conservatorship system