Camille Harrison's Christmas Album: "Christmas With You"

Camille Harrison and her Mother are NASGA members, and we are pleased to promote Camille's new Christmas Album this holiday season:  "Christmas With You"!  Camille's Mother worked with her on this album, as always! 

The new album includes songs of then and now including four originals and six classics (total of eight tracks), are now available on all digital platforms including Spotify, Apple (iTunes), Amazon, and many more. 

 

1. Christmas Dreams Come True by Camille Harrison and Brucene Harrison
2. Jesus, the Good Shepherd by Camille Harrison
3. Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming / O Little Town of Bethlehem 
4. Christmas with You in My Heart by Camille Harrison
5. The Holly and the Ivy 
6. What Child is This?
7. Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella 
8. Christmas Dreams Come True (reprise) by Camille Harrison and Brucene Harrison

Source:
Camille Harrison Music

De Pere-area care facility resident sexually assaulted another, lawsuit says, and staff failed to notify victim's family and police

by Doug Schneider and Chris Mueller

Note: This story has been updated to correct that the assisted living facility is in the town of Ledgeview.

LEDGEVIEW - A woman with cognitive disabilities was sexually assaulted by a fellow resident of an assisted living facility, but staff didn't notify the woman's family or police, or get her prompt medical care, a lawsuit alleges.

Instead, staff at Caraton Commons 2 on Arcadian Lane in Ledgeview were directed to clean up the woman and lock her inside her room, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Brown County. The woman's guardian, who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, would not find out what happened until four days later.

Lester Pines, the woman's attorney, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette on Tuesday that the behavior of the facility's management was "inexplicable." 

The woman, a 57-year-old born with Down syndrome and diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, was sexually assaulted April 10 by a male resident of the facility, which is owned by Assisted Living by Hillcrest, the complaint says.

Pines said a jury will have to hear the evidence and "provide compensation for the horrible thing that happened to our client." 

"When a person is suffering from an illness like Alzheimer's, where it impairs verbal ability, that person is suffering in silence," Pines said. "A person who can't verbalize has to deal with that internally forever. That's a big deal and it's horrible."

Ann Patteson, an attorney with Renning Lewis & Lacy, said in a statement sent to the Press-Gazette Tuesday evening that "Assisted Living By Hillcrest LLC (ALBH) takes any allegations regarding residents’ care very seriously." Patteson said Assisted Living By Hillcrest notified the state regarding the alleged incident and "fully cooperated with its review."

"While ALBH was only recently served with the civil complaint filed by attorney Lester Pines, it has tendered the defense to its insurance company, and is awaiting their handling of the case," said Patteson in the statement. "ALBH is committed to providing a safe and caring environment for its residents, and will respond to all allegations through the appropriate channels."

The male resident was known to staff at the facility "to have engaged in a disturbing and continuous pattern of inappropriate sexual behaviors toward other residents," including a prior unreported sexual assault of another resident, the complaint says. 

Still, Caraton Commons took no "meaningful steps to monitor or control (the male resident's) dangerous behavior," but warned the male resident's guardian that the facility would impose one-to-one supervision "if he were to sexually assault another resident," the complaint says.

The woman, who has since been moved to a different facility, is in "frail physical health" and is "unable to protect herself from an assault, sexual or otherwise, and is not verbally able to call for help," the complaint says. She relied on staff for all of her needs, including eating, clothing, bathing and going to the bathroom.

The woman's family is "doing their best to ensure that she is as comfortable as possible," Pines said.

The male resident had been moved to the woman's building from another Caraton Commons building on April 1, the complaint says. Three days later, he was found in another resident's room on five separate occasions, standing over the sleeping resident while exposing himself.

A day before he allegedly sexually assaulted the woman, staff took note that the male resident "continues to seek out vulnerable residents," but took no further steps to protect other residents, the complaint says. 

When a staff member entered the woman's room shortly before dinner on April 10, she found the male resident sexually assaulting the woman, who was crying, the complaint says. Before the male resident left the room, he told the staff member: "I know I'm a molester."

The woman "was crying from the moment I entered (her) room," a staff member says in a 20-page report prepared by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and was "still noticeably distressed" days later.

An administrator directed staff to clean the woman, lock her room and "keep an eye on (the male resident)," the complaint says. Nobody from the facility told the woman's guardian or any family member what had happened. Nobody reported the sexual assault to police.

"We don't know what their explanation is, but there doesn't seem to be any explanation," Pines said. "They allowed his conduct to continue."

When a social worker attempted to visit the woman April 14, four days after the assault, she found the door to the woman's room locked, the complaint says. That social worker contacted the guardian, "who was distraught and who confirmed that no one from Hillcrest had informed them of the assault."

The guardian then contacted police and drove to Caraton Commons. The guardian arranged to have the woman taken to a Green Bay hospital for an examination, which revealed multiple injuries, including bruises, scratches and abrasions to her hips, shin, buttocks and inner thigh, as well as scratches to her jaw, the complaint says. 

The woman "continues to suffer significant physical, mental and emotional injury as a result of the sexual assault," according to the complaint, which accuses the facility of being negligent by failing to provide a safe environment.  

The lawsuit names Hillcrest, the operator of the facility, and West Bend Mutual, an insurer, as defendants. No response to the lawsuit had been filed by either defendant as of Tuesday afternoon.

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De Pere-area care facility resident sexually assaulted another, lawsuit says, and staff failed to notify victim's family and police

CUs in key position to deter scams targeting seniors

Many credit unions provide a full range of financial services, to their members, including seniors and their families, CUNA wrote to the Senate Special Committee on Aging Thursday. The committee scheduled a hearing on financial literacy challenges faced by older and disabled Americans, but it was postponed.

CUNA strongly supports efforts to help seniors avoid financial exploitation and to encourage responsible decisions regarding financial management.

“Credit unions also provide elder abuse information and additional resources to help consumers, including on the credit union’s websites and with account statements,” the letter reads. “The member-owner relationship means credit unions dedicate substantial resources to assist members in living healthy financial lives and are in a key position to assist regulators and law enforcement in the deterrence of scams targeting seniors.”

CUNA was heavily involved in and strongly supported the Senior Safe Act of 2018, which was enacted into law. The law provides reporting immunity under bank privacy laws and encourages education and training at financial institutions to recognize and appropriately deal with elder financial exploitation.

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CUs in key position to deter scams targeting seniors

Hartford woman charged with exploitation

by Scott Cousins

EDWARDSVILLE – A Hartford woman faces several felony charges relating to the alleged financial exploitation of an elderly person, according to criminal charges filed Dec. 2 by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Melissa M. Tankersley, 47, of Hartford, was charged Dec. 2 with two counts of unlawful financial exploitation of an elderly person, both Class 1 felonies; theft of property over $5,000 by deception from an elderly person, a Class 2 felony; and wire fraud, a Class 3 felony.

The case was presented by the Alton Police Department.

According to court documents, between Jan. 1, 2020 and Feb. 28, 2021 Tankersley allegedly used a position of “trust and confidence” to obtain control of more than $15,000 belonging to a woman who was 70 years of age or older; and made “substantial purchases” on the internet using the victim’s money.

Bail was set at $100,000.

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Hartford woman charged with exploitation

Britney Spears Granted Power by Judge to Execute Documents for First Time in 13 Years

by Elizabeth Wagmeister

 

One month ago, Britney Spears’ long-standing conservatorship was terminated, but the legal proceedings continue.

On Wednesday, Spears’ attorney Mathew Rosengart appeared at the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse on behalf of his famous client for the latest hearing in the case, as the singer continues to fight an uphill legal battle.

Though the matters on the table were relatively minor, the judge granted Spears the power to execute documents herself, meaning “she has the power to do whatever she wants to do,” Rosengart said outside the courthouse after the brief hearing.

Inside the courtroom, Rosengart said to Judge Brenda Penny, “Ms. Spears, as an independent woman, not under conservatorship,” should be able to execute documents herself. 

On Nov. 12, following more than 13 years under conservatorship, Judge Penny terminated the legal arrangement, ruling that it was no longer necessary. Though the conservatorship was fully terminated, accountant John Zabel was given power of execution of the estate trust and power to transfer assets into the trust at the November hearing.

As of Wednesday’s hearing, Zabel will continue his limited, administrative powers until Jan. 19, the date of the next hearing, which is expected to deal with accounting matters, as well as the petition for substituted judgement.

That petition will remain under seal, Judge Penny ruled on Wednesday, stating she is granting the motion “in the interest of protecting the conservatee’s right to privacy.”

Spears’ father, Jamie, appeared remotely by phone and his attorney, Alex Weingarten, was present in the courtroom. Weingarten asked the judge for Jamie Spears to have the right to access the estate plan, which was quickly objected by an attorney for Zabel, who said, “In a normal situation, a normal person would never have to show their estate plan” to their family or friends or anyone else.

While Wednesday’s hearing was relatively tame, a few moments of courtroom theatrics ensued with Jamie Spears’ attorney, at one point, stating: “I propose that we behave like grown-ups.”

Up until his recent suspension prior to the termination, Spears’ father had been running his daughter’s conservatorship since 2008 when he placed her under the legal arrangement. At the time, she had endured a series of public pitfalls which were magnified by overwhelming paparazzi and tabloid attention. As the years went on, the behavior of Spears’ father came into question, and the #FreeBritney movement put a megaphone to their concerns about the star being held against her own will.

When Spears testified this past June, she told the court she is a victim of “conservatorship abuse,” and her fans’ rallying cries were validated. The spotlight on her father’s conduct intensified, as public interest catapulted with concerns for the star spreading around the world.

Among the allegations against her father are accusations that he, along with Spears’ former business management company, TriStar Sports and Entertainment, was running a surveillance operation in the pop star’s own home, eavesdropping on her conversations with her children. (Spears’ father has denied all allegations, and has constantly stated he loves his daughter and is only looking out for her best interest.)

Though Wednesday’s hearing was largely focused on housekeeping items, Rosengart briefly addressed some of those allegations, at one point, raising questions as to whether TriStar has “dissipated assets” from Spears’ estate.

Outside the courthouse, Rosengart elaborated a bit, citing previous court filings. “TriStar filed a motion to quash subpoenas that were served on TriStar, as well as Robin Greenhill, and that’s something the court is going to address during the hearing on Jan. 19,” he said.

Ever since Spears retained Rosengart — a Hollywood veteran and former federal prosecutor — in July, his firm’s strategy has been very specific and has moved at lightning speed. Rosengart first worked to have her father suspended, before asking the court to terminate the conservatorship.

For more than a decade, Spears’ father insisted that his famous daughter needed to be under the conservatorship. Suddenly, after Rosengart requested for the court to suspend him, the elder Spears did a quick reversal, urging the judge to terminate the conservatorship altogether.

Spears’ father, along with other conservators, profited off of the conservatorship over its 13 years. Unlike most individuals under conservatorships, the singer worked regularly — and she testified she was forced to do so against her own will. During the course of the conservatorship, Spears went on tour, held a Las Vegas residency, appeared in guest TV spots and was a reality competition judge, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars, of which her conservators all got a cut. “This conservatorship was corrupted by James P. Spears,” Rosengart said after the Nov. 12 hearing, citing records show the singer’s father has taken up to $4 million from the estate.

Rosengart’s two-part strategy to first suspend and then terminate was done to ensure that the elder Spears could not evade responsibility for his alleged conduct. Had the conservatorship been terminated first, Spears’ father would not be responsible for turning over documents. Now, with his court-ordered suspension, Spears’ father will be forced to turn over documents that include communications between him and his attorneys.

On Wednesday, Rosengart told Variety and other reporters outside of the courthouse that Spears’ father has failed to cooperate with his requests for specific documents that his firm believes will “shed light in regard to his abuses and the alleged conduct.” Rosengart also said if Spears’ father continues to evade his deposition, his firm will take steps to ensure he is deposed.

“We served papers for his deposition. He did not appear for his deposition the first time; he did not appear for his deposition a second time, so he has not yet been deposed,” Rosengart said on Wednesday. “But he will be deposed in this case. I look forward to taking his deposition.”

Rosengart’s investigation into Spears’ father and TriStar remains ongoing.

Unlike past hearings, Wednesday’s court date was incredibly quiet with only a handful of reporters and fans lined up at the courtroom. Past legal proceedings in Spears’ case have drawn international media coverage with #FreeBritney rallies outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles, garnering groups of people who lined up in the wee hours of the morning.

As for how Spears is doing as a free woman, Rosengart told reporters, “I think she’s commented publicly through her Instagram posts what her state of mind is. She’s delighted. We had a great victory on Nov. 12. She’s a free woman after 13 years of an abusive conservatorship that we believe was corrupted, and I’ll leave it at that.”

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Britney Spears Granted Power by Judge to Execute Documents for First Time in 13 Years

Programs work to advocate for seniors, endangered adults

by Jordan Morey

The age of the average American is trending upward.

By the year 2030, all Americans born during the baby boomer generation (1946-1964) will have reached 65 years of age or older — around 73 million individuals nationwide.

Data from the 2020 census revealed around 16% of Indiana’s population is currently 65 years or older. According to a 2018 study by the Indiana Business Research Center, Indiana University Kelley School of Business, one in five Hoosiers will be senior citizens by 2030. The recent census also showed 9.7% of Hoosiers under the age of 65 have a disability, while 10.3% of Hoosiers above 65 are disabled.

As the age of the average Hoosier grows, so has the need for legal representation for vulnerable seniors and endangered adults in Indiana, according to experts.

In June 2018, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration – Division of Aging released a state plan on aging for federal fiscal years 2019-2022. The study stated that based on reported statistics, 11% of those 60 years old and over suffer from some form of abuse each year, which would mean that “in 2030 potentially 157,287 Hoosiers 65 and older could suffer from abuse in a period of one year.”

Offering free legal help

To provide more legal resources to those in need, Indiana Legal Services launched the Legal Assistance for Victimized Adults, or LAVA, Project in 2017. The project was funded by a two-year grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, which has since been renewed twice.

The LAVA Project serves individuals 60 years and older and endangered adults (18 and older with disabilities) who are victims of a crime, including abuse and financial exploitation. They provide free legal help, which includes writing advice letters, assisting with negotiations and litigating cases in court.

Also, since the addition of a social worker to the program, the project now helps connect Hoosiers with nonlegal resources such as housing/rentals, food assistance, mental health and public benefits assistance.

Jessica Brock

LAVA Project Director Jessica Brock said since the program started, it has helped more than 700 individuals statewide. The staff, which started with two attorneys and a paralegal, has now grown to five attorneys, a paralegal and social worker, Brock said.

Most of the cases brought to the LAVA Project are breaches of fiduciary duty, Brock said, but they’ve also dealt with cases where clients were being physically and verbally abused, had issues with conversion of property and/or were victims of consumer fraud and scams.

Case types include:

• Power of attorney abuse — revocations, accountings.
• Domestic violence — protection orders, divorce.
• Unwanted abusive housemates — eviction, trespassing.
• Theft/conversion of property.
• Consumer fraud and scams.
• Guardianship termination and accountings.

Brock said the organization often works with community partners in assisting clients, primarily Adult Protective Services. She said the LAVA Project also works with financial institutions, agencies involved with aging around the state and private attorneys, among others.

The LAVA Project is one of the first of its kind in the country. Over the years, Brock said the organization has presented at national conferences, such as the American Elder Abuse and National Aging and Law conferences, to help other organizations.

The current grant funding ends in September 2022, and LAVA will apply again in the spring.

“Our grant doesn’t have any income or asset limitation on the clients we can help,” Brock said. “Unlike the rest of folks who might qualify for legal aid with income and asset caps, we are not subject to those with our grants.”

Brock has been with the project since the start and has seen the impact it has made on the clients it has served.

“We offer legal representation to victims of crimes for Hoosiers who are over 60 and Hoosiers who are endangered adults. Those populations are very underrepresented in Indiana and in the nation generally,” Brock said. “The cases they present are often complicated from a factual standpoint, and sometimes the client management can be time consuming. For a number of reasons, it can be very difficult for these individuals to find private legal counsel.

“For many, our services are the only civil legal services they have available to them,” she continued. “We have filled an obvious need in the community and that’s been demonstrated by our success.”

Assisting disabled Hoosiers

Melissa Keyes

Melissa Keyes, executive director of Indiana Disability Rights, said she has also seen an increased need for legal representation for Hoosiers who have disabilities who are being abused and neglected.

IDR, the service arm of the Indiana Protection & Advocacy Services Commission, aims to protect and promote the rights of individuals with disabilities through empowerment and advocacy.

IDR has an abuse and neglect team that conducts investigations into allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation and monitors facilities like group homes, workshops, nursing homes, psychiatric residential treatment facilities and mental health facilities for signs of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Keyes estimated IDR works 10-15 cases per quarter on average. She said while IDR can’t fine a provider, they are able to do systematic investigations thanks to the broad authority they’re given, and can provide their findings to agencies overseeing the facilities.

IDR can also provide legal assistance to disabled Hoosiers, but it often won’t go that far to avoid any conflicts of interest tied to their investigations. Instead, they will often refer them to their local private bar.

“I think it’s a bigger problem than people realize. I think one of the most frustrating things about what we see is how little value there is from a legal sense to a person’s life with a disability — especially if they live in a facility,” Keyes said. “One of the things we often hear from the private bar when we do try to make those referrals is there’s not a whole lot of value. For example, there is often not things like recovery of lost wages and loss of consortium or things like that. It’s not always easy to find a private bar willing to do this.”

Keyes said IDR will only represent people with disabilities, but if the person has a guardian and wants their guardian to be involved, they will work with the guardian — but will take direction from the client directly to the extent that is possible. In cases where the guardian is the adverse party, it’s a bit more complicated, Keyes said, and it can depend on which program they’re operating under and the type of guardian (family vs. professional or organization) because there are slightly different rules.

According to the federal Office for Victims of Crime, individuals with a disability are more than twice as likely to be a victim of violent crime as those without a disability. Between 2017 and 2019, individuals with disabilities accounted for 26% of nonfatal violent crime in the U.S. despite representing just 12% of the population.

Keyes said more abusers need to be held accountable in court for their actions.

“The other frustrating thing we see is how few times legitimate, substantified incidents of abuse, neglect and exploitation, how often those occur without prosecution or without holding the staff member accused of that accountable,” she said. “They often get fired or resign, and because we don’t have any good method of tracking those folks in the state system, they turn around and go to another provider down the street. It’s a really big problem when it comes to making sure there is accountability for injustices that happen to folks with disabilities — especially those in facilities.”•

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Programs work to advocate for seniors, endangered adults

Attorney fees provision sours support for guardianship overhaul

By: Nick Evans

Rep. Diane Grendell. Source: Ohio General Assembly.

A bipartisan team of House lawmakers is working on a sweeping update to Ohio’s guardianship laws. The changes stem in large part from recommendations offered by the Ohio Judicial Conference, and they come at a moment when Britney Spears’ conservatorship case has put added attention on the issue.

The problem? HB 488 also carries an unrelated provision granting judges the authority to hire their own lawyers without the approval of other county officials. And the Republican sponsor’s husband just so happens to be a judge — a judge currently suing his county commission in the Ohio Supreme Court.

On paper, Diane Grendell, R-Chesterland, makes sense as a sponsor for what she and Rep. Tavia Galonski, D-Akron, call a guardianship modernization bill. Grendell herself is a former judge on the state appeals court bench and she spent time as a guardian ad litem. But her familial connections are prompting pushback over the attorney fees portion of the proposal.

Grendell’s husband Tim Grendell is the Geauga County Probate and Juvenile Court judge. He’s engaged in a running battle with the county auditor over reimbursements for COVID-19 robocalls and local advertising for a program meant to help residents avoid probate court. In both instances, Grendell insisted to the public that “no tax dollars” were used for the message, but the auditor argues turning around and later asking for reimbursement would create “a public misrepresentation.”

More recently Judge Grendell found himself in the public spotlight for throwing two young boys in juvenile detention because they didn’t want to visit their father during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rep. Grendell insists giving judges the power to hire outside counsel is a separation of powers issue.

“Right now, the executive branch and the legislative branch are able to get their own attorneys but judges cannot,” Grendell told the committee at the bill’s first hearing. “What happened to the equalness of judges in our state?”

But the attorney-funding portion of the bill faced a withering barrage of questions from fellow Republican Brian Stewart. He pressed the bill’s backers on singling out judges, asking why other countywide office holders like the auditor, recorder and sheriff, aren’t granted the same right to hire outside counsel.

“To my mind, the only situation where this is really going to exist is where the judge wants to sue the commissioners or another countywide officeholder and doesn’t have the funds for that,” Stewart argued. “Is there any situation where this would apply other than when the judge wants to sue fellow officeholders?”

Stewart also zeroed in on how the legislation caps attorney fees. The current language of the bill ties judges to same hourly rate as other officeholders, but it doesn’t carry the annual cap those officeholders face.

“You can have a lawsuit between the judge against his commissioners in which the Board of Commissioners is capped at, you know the $120,000 annual salary of the prosecutor,” Stewart said, “The judge can pay $300,000 to his outside counsel of choice. That’s not the intent, correct?”

Grendell quickly agreed to add the annual cap language to the bill. But as of the measure’s second hearing this week, no amendment has been offered. During that hearing, committee chair Rep. Brett Hillyer, R-Ulrichsville, seemed to indicate an amendment was forthcoming. Grendell didn’t respond to a request for comment. But in a statement, Rep. Galonski said the language on attorneys fees will be fixed, and like Grendell, argued it’s “unconscionable” for county officials to hold a veto over local courts.

“Only in the rare circumstances where a prosecutor will not or cannot represent a judge would the judge be able to hire their own counsel,” Galonski wrote. “We also propose a cap on legal fees which mirrors current caps.”

But even if the bill is addressing a significant problem for judges around the state, it’s clear that opponents are uncomfortable with the messenger. In written testimony, opponents pounced on Grendell’s involvement.

“This bill appears to have been written for the express purpose of allowing Judge Grendell to circumvent safeguards that protect public tax dollars from waste,” wrote Shelley Chernin. “It is the worst kind of judicial overreach.”

“It is apparent to all of us who follow government in Geauga County that this bill (…) is designed to address a problem that benefits only one judge in the state,” wrote Barbara Partington. “This judge is also the husband of Representative Grendell.”

Rep. Grendell wasn’t the only Grendell speaking on behalf of the measure at its first hearing.

Judge Timothy J. Grendell, Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court. Photo from the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas Website.

Judge Grendell was on hand too, and in his comments he made it clear the proposed change is meant to make it easier for judges to play hardball in disputes with other county officials.

“If you have to go with your commissioners because they won’t pass your budget, and they won’t give you the money to run your court, you have to take the commissioners to the Supreme Court of Ohio,” Grendell said. “Which you don’t want to do, but it’s not your choice. It’s the fact that the commissioners won’t approve a budget.”

And Grendell would know. In addition to his fight with the county auditor, he’s currently suing his county commission in the supreme court over who controls the judicial purse strings.

Full Article & Source:

Attorney fees provision sours support for guardianship overhaul

 

I-Team: Isolation in guardianships

by Danielle DaRos

Karilyn Montanti hugs her family after months without contact. (Christine Montanti)

ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The CBS12 News I-Team is continuing its investigation into guardianship abuse in Florida, and focusing on a common theme in many cases we've covered: isolation.

Court-appointed guardians are supposed to handle the money and affairs of their wards once they've been declared "incapacitated."

Families tell us once a guardian gets control, they often cut off their ward's contact with loved ones, making it difficult to spot abuse and address it.

Christine Montanti reached out to the I-Team during a fight for her mother's freedom and visitation rights.

Montanti, who is from Long Island, said her mother Karilyn Montanti was placed in guardianship under special circumstances. Her sister was acting as power of attorney, working with a court-appointed elder care manager to handle Karilyn's affairs.

"Her rights were taken away from her," Christine told the I-Team. "She's isolated. Blocked from family and friends. Her phone was removed. She had no access to her computer or the outside world."

She says contact with her mother was completely cut off, leaving Karilyn unable to see loved ones, including her only grandchild.

The isolation took its toll. Christine showed us pictures of her mother that appear to show how she aged and lost weight under this arrangement.

Christine says she tried to ask a judge for a hearing to present evidence but was not allowed to speak and address the visitation issue.

"It was like they took away my family member while she's living, and essentially placed her in a jail," Christine said.

She hired Florida attorney Ron Denman after learning of his track record in guardianship abuse cases.

He tells us the pattern of isolation is something he sees all the time.

"Typically a guardian will say that a person who is being cut off who can't see mom or dad, is because they are somehow harming their parent," he said, "creating stress, creating anxiety. But if there is no one there to be able to watch what's going on, there is no one able to report if the guardian is not doing the right thing."

In Florida, guardianship law states guardians should "allow the ward to maintain contact with family and friends unless the guardian believes that such contact may cause harm to the ward."

That, advocates say, gives guardians too much discretion to cut off anyone and everyone they want -- no matter what the ward's wishes.

In other states, visitation rights are being written into the law. For example, in California, guardians, called conservators in that state, are not allowed to restrict visitation unless a judge specifically orders it.

In Arizona, individuals who lose access to a ward may petition the court for a contact order.

In Karilyn's case, Denman petitioned the court to not only restore communication but to also end the guardianship completely. New physician evaluations determined that while she is disabled, Karilyn has the mental capacity to make her own decisions.

This fall, they had a surprise victory: a judge ordered all restrictions on Karilyn removed, and dismissed the care manager. In other words, Karilyn got her freedom back, and Christine could visit her again.

Christine moved her mother to a new facility in Palm Beach County, where she says she is thriving.

"She loves her new facility. She is happy. She has a second chance at life," Christine said.

Denman got emotional, explaining what it's like to see a client get their rights back.

"I don't know that I can put that into words," he said. "It's the true reason some of us become lawyers. When you can change someone's life."

While they are celebrating the recent victory, they know the fight is not over. Karilyn's family is still fighting in court over control of Karilyn's living arrangements and estate. Christine fears a guardianship arrangement could come back.

The I-Team reached out to Christine's sister, the former care manager, and their attorneys for comment but did not hear back.

 

Full Article & Source:

I-Team: Isolation in guardianships

Local attorney disbarred over botched family trust

By Ben Irwin

Attorney Robert Fletcher disbarred by State Bar, Superior Court of California after nephew attempts to collect rightful trust shares, finds nothing left

TULARE – The old saying goes family and business don’t mix, and the Fletchers have learned that the hard way.

Local attorney Robert Fletcher was disbarred in November by the State Bar of California for cutting his nephew Russell out of the family trust. Fletcher sold assets tied to Russell’s share and more for just shy of a million dollars, from which Fletcher personally benefited.

Fletcher was disbarred for breach of fiduciary duty to trust beneficiaries while serving as a trustee, misappropriation of trust funds and dishonest and corrupt acts as a trustee while managing the Thelma F. Fletcher Family Revocable Trust of 1989.

Marion and Thelma Fletcher established their family trust in 1989, which provided that when both had died, the trust assets would be divided in thirds to each of their three children, Marion D. Fletcher Jr., Robert Fletcher and Mary Anne Record.

When Marion D. Fletcher Jr. died prior to the deaths of his parents, the trust was amended in 1996 for Marion D. Fletcher Jr.’s share to be given to his son, Russell Fletcher, on his 35th birthday, April 8, 2018.

Fletcher became the sole trustee of the Fletcher trust in 2002 after the deaths of his parents, when the trust assets totaled about $1.1 million: about $56,000 in cash, a $900,000 apartment building in Fresno County, a $137,000 house in Tulare County and $7,500 in possessions.

In 2003, Fletcher sold the Fresno County apartment building, netting about $910,000 on the sale. According to the State Bar, Fletcher’s sister Record remembered receiving about $330,000 after the sale of the apartment building, what she believed to be one-third of the trust.

In 2018, Russell sought his share of the family trust after his 35th birthday, only to find that virtually no funds remained. Russell then petitioned the Tulare County Superior Court, where Fletcher could not account for the missing funds. According to the State Bar, bank, tax and trust records show that large amounts of funds were misappropriated over the years.

The Supreme Court of California ordered Fletcher to pay $303,494 plus 10% interest per year from 2003 on in restitution to his nephew Russell, and $10,778 plus 10% interest per year from 2015 to his nephew and sister.

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Local attorney disbarred over botched family trust

Florida Woman Charged for Giving Naked Lap Dances to Senior Citizens

By Daniel Villarreal

A 35-year-old Florida woman is facing criminal charges for allegedly giving unsolicited naked lap dances to senior citizens in a private home.

Heather Cruz allegedly entered a Citrus County home, located in the state's west coast central, on November 21. She then got naked before grabbing and hugging the homeowner, WFLA reported.

One of house residents reportedly told her to stop. But instead, she allegedly sat naked upon the laps of two of the home's other residents. She told one of them, "You like it," police said. Several of the residents were over the age of 65.

When two of the residents tried to remove Cruz from the home, she allegedly grabbed one of the resident's crotch and made sexual remarks.

Police eventually arrived and ordered the woman to put on a shirt. After they handcuffed her and began placing her in the backseat of a patrol car, she allegedly kicked an officer in the chest while they attempted to close the car door.

When police tried to put her into the back of a different patrol car, she allegedly kicked another officer in the chest as well, according to police.

Authorities charged Cruz with three counts of battery on persons 65 years of age or older, two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, one count of resisting an officer with violence, burglary with battery, exposure of sexual organs, as well as battery, WFLA reported.

She was sent to the Citrus County Detention Facility and held on a bail amount of $48,000.

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Florida Woman Charged for Giving Naked Lap Dances to Senior Citizens

Safety fears for artist Peter Max in ‘Britney Spears-style conservatorship’

By Emily Smith 

Libra Max and longtime friend Edward Tricomi advocate to free Peter Max from his guardianship. Stephen Yang

Friends and family fear that legendary pop artist Peter Max has been drugged by his caretakers — one of whom allegedly said she would “rather he die sooner,” according to court papers.

Every aspect of Max’s life — all personal, financial and legal decisions — are allegedly controlled by court-appointed strangers in a Britney Spears-style conservatorship, according to his daughter Libra Max.

Libra, 54, claims that this summer she had not been allowed to visit her 84-year-old father at the Upper West Side apartment in what was her childhood home, and was permitted to see him only on a public park bench in Riverside Park — and only for an hour at a time.

Libra headed back to court in New York on Tuesday in another bid to free her father from the guardianship.

Peter Max in his New York City studio in 2012.

AFP via Getty Images

Her attorney Jeffrey Eilender told Page Six, “Libra Max has filed a proceeding to dismantle this predatory, unconstitutional guardianship of her father Peter Max which continues to violate his most basic human rights.”

Peter’s personal and property guardians are lawyers Barbara Lissner and Lawrence Flynn. He is also being represented by court-appointed attorney Elizabeth Adinolfi.

Libra and Peter’s friends allege in court papers that Lissner is keeping Peter isolated in his home, where the locks were changed and his cellphone was taken away. Lissner didn’t comment.

Now Max’s friend of more than 20 years, Tacee Webb, has filed an affidavit in New York Supreme Court alleging that Adinolfi confessed to her last August: “I probably shouldn’t say this to you, but I would rather that Peter die sooner than later.”

In the affidavit, Webb said, “These words have shaken me to my core.” She continued, “To hear this from the mouth of Peter’s own lawyer was terrifying to me as she is supposed to be advocating for him, not hoping for his demise.”

She added, “It greatly concerned met that Ms. Adinolfi had so drastically changed Peter’s life from the way he chose to live it when he was of sound mind.”

Adinolfi did not respond to a request for comment.

Libra said in a statement to Page Six about the allegations, “Only a sick person would say such a thing. My father needs to be returned to the safety of his family and Adinolfi must be removed from his life immediately.

“Adinolfi should be investigated by authorities and by her law firm, Phillips Nizer. She has brazenly advocated against my father’s wishes, ignoring his pleas to be with his family.

“It is incomprehensible and terrifying that she wishes for the death of my father; she has complete control over his life.”

Libra, pictured here with her father and Tony Danza in 2015, said she wasn’t able to visit her father in the home she grew up in.

PatrickMcMullan.com

But Peter’s property guardian, Flynn, shot back against the claims that Max was being mistreated, and defended Adolfini. He told Page Six, “Peter is being very well cared … I submit a detailed report every year to the court detailing the money that is spent on his care, on his taxes and personal bills.

“I do not believe for a moment Elizabeth Adolfini made the comment that she would prefer Peter die sooner rather than later.

“In the end, this legal action is about control of Peter’s art and estate, and his money.”

Court docs allege that since June 2019, neither of Peter’s children, nor any of his family and friends, have been permitted to visit him in his home. As the weather got colder this fall, they were said to be finally allowed to visit him at home, for only an hour, having secured advance permission from his guardians.

When family and friends have seen Peter on FaceTime, he appears to be sedated, say friends, who also fear for his safety.

Rosanne Vela Roberts — Peter’s former girlfriend who lived with him and his two children from 1975 to 1985, and has since remained close friends — said in an affidavit that in 2019, she was “blocked from all contact with my closest friend … I was not able to see or speak with Peter for 11 months.”

She said when they finally spoke, “He was upset that he hadn’t seen me in a year. It hurts me to hear the desperation in his voice.”

Roberts added in the affidavit that when she spoke to Peter on FaceTime, “It has immediately been apparent to me that he is not OK. Even in the middle of the day he appears to be sedated.

“One of the last times we spoke on FaceTime his eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped over … That incident frightened me, and I am very worried about his health and his safety.”

She added, “I am shocked and upset by how pale and unwell he looks.”

Max, whose works hang in the Museum of Modern Art, has an estimated fortune of at least $65 million.

He suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and was placed under guardianship in December 2016, after the court ruled that he needed protection from alleged physical, mental and emotional abuse by his then-second wife, Mary.

Mary Max died by suicide at age 52, in June 2019, just before Lissner took over the guardianship. Libra applied to the court two months later to end the guardianship — but failed.

Peter Max and his late wife, Mary Max, at the Spirit Of Ireland Gala in New York in October 2017.

WireImage

Max’s friends have since set up a website titled “Free Peter Max,” which states, “Since 2019, Peter’s family and friends have been privately waging a legal battle to free Peter from his involuntary isolation at the hands of strangers; restore to him his dignity; and allow him to be surrounded by loved ones at the end of his life.

“After more than two years of isolation, Peter’s loved ones fear he is losing his will to live. His health has steeply declined; he appears dangerously over-medicated; and his family and friends fear for his life.”

It has been signed by thousands of friends and a host of influential people, including famed talent manager Shep Gordon, Warren Tricomi, Mimi Gelb, Rosie Vela, Mindy Levine, Tom Freston, Joe DiMaggio Jr. and Bebe Buell.

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Safety fears for artist Peter Max in ‘Britney Spears-style conservatorship’

Wilmington nursing home neglect: Here's how to report abuse

by Sydney Hoover

The North Chase Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Treesie Paradis wasn't allowed to visit her mother at NorthChase Nursing and Rehabilitation Center due to COVID restrictions. Her mother, Juanita Hale, told her nurses weren't responding when she pressed a call button asking for help using the bathroom.

Once Paradis was able to visit, she said she found Hale with a puddle of urine under her wheelchair and all her clothes soaked through. Before she was able to meet with administrators, her mother contracted a urinary tract infection that led to her being hospitalized. Paradis’ mother died a month later.  

While Hale was in the hospital, a nurse referred the family to a social worker for a "safety evaluation," according to medical records. 

Julian March, media relations coordinator for New Hanover Regional Medical Center, said anyone "with a reasonable cause" to believe an older adult or an adult with a disability is in need of protective services would report that information to local social services. 

But for many families, neglect doesn’t reach the point of hospitalization, leaving them to navigate the reporting process on their own. 

What is nursing home neglect?

Around 5 million elderly Americans experience nursing home abuse each year, according to the National Association of Nursing Home Attorneys. One in 10 people age 60 or older experience some form of elder abuse, which can include psychological, physical or sexual abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. 

The association also reported as many as 90% of nursing homes are not staffed adequately, and the nurse's aide-to-resident ratio is typically one-to-15, when it should be closer to one-to-six. 

In Wilmington, NorthChase was not the only nursing home to have been in the spotlight this year for allegations of neglect. An April investigation of Spring Arbor of Wilmington revealed neglect in care for residents when a man died after being assaulted by another resident. The family of the man, Garland Garrett Jr., filed a lawsuit against the facility.

Both facilities were previously found in violation of state rules and regulations.

When a nursing home resident is admitted to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center, policy requires any suspected neglect be reported to social services. But other families have taken it into their own hands to report neglect and abuse in nursing homes to the state, which then ultimately resulted in investigations.  

Christane Long said her grandmother, a former NorthChase resident, was often found with soiled underwear or with bruises. She died in June after suffering a stroke. 

Long filed a complaint with the state by phone and was informed an investigation would be conducted. She later received a letter that outlined findings from the investigation, which informed her one of her claims was substantiated, though the letter did not specify which one.

Reporting and inspecting facilities

North Carolina nursing homes are licensed by the Division of Health Service Regulation’s Nursing Home Licensure and Certification Section and are required to follow state rules and regulations.

Most nursing homes in the state are also in the Medicare/Medicaid program and are then required to follow federal rules and regulations as well, said Kelly Haight, communications manager for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. 

Nursing homes are regularly inspected, typically every nine-to-15 months, Haight said, and surveyors check for compliance for a number of residents’ rights identified by the state, like the right to be free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and the right to a quality of life and care, among others. 

Additional inspections can come out of complaints made to the department by residents, their families or others made by phone, fax or mail.

Complaints are only investigated if the incident occurred within the last year and are prioritized by level of severity. Investigations are unannounced, unlike in routine inspections, and complainants' identities remain confidential throughout the process. Any complaints submitted to the state are “reviewed and triaged for appropriate follow-up,” Haight said.  

Any issues found during the inspection will result in a “Statement of Deficiency” report, and the facility must create a plan of correction for those deficiencies. Haight said facilities could also face other penalties. 

Surveyors will then follow up with the home to make sure it corrected any deficiencies that were cited. Reports made during and after inspections can be viewed on the Division of Health Service Regulation website.

If you believe your loved one is being abused or neglected, you can file a complaint with the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation. Complaints can be filed over the phone by calling 1-800-624-3004 or 919-855-4500 between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon and 1 - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Complaints can also be faxed to 919-715-7724 by printing and filling out the complaint form found on the division's website, or you can mail the complaint form to Complaint Intake Unit, 2711 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2711.

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Wilmington nursing home neglect: Here's how to report abuse

Disability Rights Iowa to stage town hall event in Sioux City

By: Clark Kauffman

The new executive director of Disability Rights Iowa says one of the challenges she faces in her job is that relatively few Iowans see themselves as disabled. (Photo courtesy of Disability Rights Iowa)

Disability Rights Iowa is staging a town hall in Sioux City on Wednesday for residents to meet the agency’s new executive director.

DRI’s executive director, Catherine E. Johnson, will meet with members of the disability community and hear from them as to the issues they face in the Sioux City area. The town hall will also include two hours of presentations on issues of concern to the disability community.

There will be American Sign Language assistance provided, as well as communication access real-time translation (CART).

The town hall will be held at the Sioux City Public Museum at 607 4th St. A meet-and-greet gathering with Johnson will take place at noon, followed at 1 p.m. by presentations on education, guardianship and conservatorship, Social Security overpayments, and working with Social Security disability benefits. The event will conclude with a one-hour question-and-answer period scheduled for 3 p.m.

Along with DRI, the event is sponsored by the Disabilities Resource Center of Siouxland and the Sioux City Human Rights Commission.

Earlier this year, Johnson replaced Jane Hudson as the head of DRI, which is a federally funded, privately run organization that’s dedicated to helping Iowans with disabilities.

Johnson received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Iowa. She has worked as the assistant dean of students for the St. Louis University School of Law, served as the director of Student Legal Services at University of Iowa, and worked as a disability rights attorney at the Disability Rights Center of Kansas.

Before being named the executive director of DRI, she was the director of the ADA Resource Center for Equity and Accessibility at the University of Kansas.

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Disability Rights Iowa to stage town hall event in Sioux City

Boston Man, 82, Attacked by Group of ATV and Dirt Bike Riders While Picking Up Thanksgiving Turkey

"It's heartbreaking for us to know that it's not safe for our 82-year-old father to be out by himself," the victim's daughter said after the attack

 

By Joelle Goldstein

An 82-year-old man has been hospitalized with "serious injuries" after authorities say he was attacked by a group of ATV and dirt bike riders in Boston.

The daughter of the unidentified victim told ABC affiliate WCVB that she was still devastated over the brutal gang attack on her elderly father last Thursday evening.

"He wasn't doing anything wrong," she told the outlet. "He's simply traveling somewhere and then he gets attacked, and it's heartbreaking for us to know that it's not safe for our 82-year-old father to be out by himself."

"[We're] discouraged at humanity, in general, to know that someone — or more than someone — can get together and beat on a defenseless elderly man," she added.

According to a press release from the Massachusetts State Police, the incident happened around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 as the man was driving his 1996 Buick Century through the Fenway neighborhood.

"He was going to pick up a turkey. That's all he was doing," his daughter told WCVB. "A simple errand at 7:30 at night. You wouldn't think that it would be a dangerous time for someone to be out."

STATE POLICE SEEK PUBLIC'S HELP IN INVESTIGATION INTO ATTACK BY DIRT BIKE, ATV RIDERS ON ELDERLY MOTORIST

The Massachusetts State Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying multiple suspects who, while operating dirt bikes and ATVs, surrounded and assaulted an 82-year-old motorist in Boston last Thursday. The victim, a Brookline man, suffered serious injuries and remains hospitalized but is expected to survive.

At approximately 7:30 p.m. on November 18, the victi...

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As the man approached the Bowker Overpass, authorities said about "30 to 40 off-road motorcycles and ATVs" surrounded him.

The group forced him onto the curb of the right-hand side of the road before "several of them began smashing the windows of the victim's car," the release stated.

The man was able to drive away and headed in the direction of a police station to get help, but the group followed him and began "kicking and striking the victim's vehicle again," according to the release.

He continued driving until he became stuck in traffic near the DoubleTree hotel in Allston, where the man put his window down and attempted to ask people in another car to call 911.

"While the victim's car window was down, one of the riders, a male, approached him on foot and began punching the victim through the open window," state police said. "At the same time, other riders continued to kick the victim's car. One of the suspects threw a piece of pipe through the car's rear window; another threw a large rock through one of the car windows."

Once traffic began to flow again, the man started driving and continued on until he reached Joe's Kwik Market, where authorities said he got out of his vehicle and fell to the ground.

Boston EMS was then called to the scene and transported the man to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, where he remains with "serious injuries" but "is expected to survive," the release stated.

"He's still beat up and swollen. He's still in a lot of pain, but he's getting stronger and getting better every day," his daughter told NBC Boston. "That's the hardest thing for us to wrap our heads around, that there's people out there that are violent, angry, careless."

"We do look at this as an attempted murder," she added to WCVB. "This wasn't just some sort of assault. He could have really died."

The man's daughter also noted to the outlet that he had a heart valve replaced recently, and he put his arm up to protect his heart during the attack.

"The only thing he could do was protect his heart. That's why he's got such a large bruise on his arm," she explained to WCVB. "He's definitely sad and discouraged. He described it as a nightmare and I think that's exactly what it was for him."

At this time, it is unclear why the man was attacked or what the group's intentions were.

In their press release, which showed footage of the ATV and biker group prior to the incident, State Police said they are currently investigating the attack.

Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has cell phone footage of the group, to contact the State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County at (617) 727-8817.

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Boston Man, 82, Attacked by Group of ATV and Dirt Bike Riders While Picking Up Thanksgiving Turkey

Louisiana judges often resign while under investigation. There's a new penalty for that.

Advocate staff photo by MATTHEW HINTON--Mary Whitney, special counsel for the judiciary commission, the agency that investigates judicial misconduct, speaks to the Louisiana Supreme Court about Judge James Best, of the 18th Judicial District Court, during a disciplinary hearing before the Louisiana Supreme Court in New Orleans, La. Tuesday, May 3, 2016. speaks to the seven justices including Associate Justice Jefferson D. Hughes III, second left, Associate Justice Greg G. Guidry, Associate Justice Jeannette Theriot Knoll, Chief Justice Justice Bernette J. Johnson, left, Associate Justice John L. Weimer, Associate Justice Marcus R. Clark, and Associate Justice Scott J. Crichton.

BY ANDREA GALLO AND JOHN SIMERMAN|

As St. John the Baptist Parish Judge Jeff Perilloux sat suspended from the bench, awaiting trial on sex charges involving minors, the state paid him more than $300,000 in salary, while also plunking down a $406.77 daily rate for fill-in judges to do his job for more than two years.

A jury finally convicted him last year on four sex charges that involved fondling his daughter’s teenage friends. He resigned his post shortly before he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

The Louisiana Supreme Court did not get the chance to formally kick Perilloux off the bench, nor did it have a way to recoup the cost of his misdeeds. The investigative arm for judicial misconduct, the Louisiana Judiciary Commission, lost jurisdiction as soon as Perilloux resigned after two years under investigation.

But judges who choose a similar route in the future might find themselves punished differently: if the high court can’t kick them off the bench, it can now dent their bank accounts.

The court has changed its rules to allow for monetary penalties for suspended judges who cling to their posts and then quit before the court can slap them with discipline.

The new rules say if the court has disqualified a judge on an interim basis after an indictment or a criminal charge, the judge — if unwilling to resign — will be responsible to repay the state for the $407-per-day cost of the judge appointed to take over their docket.

Those rules apply if the judge is convicted of the crime, “absent exceptional circumstances” that the Judiciary Commission and State Supreme Court will consider.

If judges retire or resign after a misconduct case against them has become public but before a final ruling, the Judiciary Commission under the new rules can also attempt to recover all of its investigative costs. Judiciary Commission investigations generally cost between $2,000 to $3,000, though they vary depending on the complexity of a case, number of witnesses and more, said Supreme Court spokesman Robert Gunn.

The new rule on paying back costs, however, does not apply if judges simply cycle off the bench when their terms end.

That’s how now-retired Orleans Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell stepped out of a judicial misconduct case last year unscathed, despite allegations that he committed “willful misconduct” and “persistent and public conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute.”

Though the Judiciary Commission scheduled a hearing against him, Cantrell was never suspended, and he ran out the clock on the case. He was too old to run again and left office at the end of his term.

State Supreme Court Chief Justice John Weimer said in a statement that the new rules will make the high court more efficient and hold state judges more accountable for their actions.

“These changes ensure that judges who are convicted of crimes or who resign or retire in the late stages of judicial discipline proceedings, sometimes to avoid the imposition of public discipline by this Court, may be held accountable for the costs incurred as a result of their actions and that such costs are not ultimately borne by the taxpayers of this State,” it read.

The rule changes also include provisions to speed up cases involving criminal conduct, impairment and disabilities, or cases where judges have been disqualified while under investigation.

Dane Ciolino, a Loyola Law School professor and an authority on legal ethics, said the purpose of the new rules is clear.

“The Supreme Court is obviously kind of tired of having judges engage in criminal conduct and have the taxpayers wind up paying for their replacements and other expenses while the matter is worked out in the Judiciary Commission,” he said.

“Due process takes a long time. I think the message the court is sending to judges is, ‘If you’ve done something wrong and you know it, resign. Or else you’re going to have to pay.’”

Ciolino said the new rules should make it easy for the court to collect from judges who step down to avoid inevitable discipline and a public shaming.

“They’ll do it the same way they collect money from disbarred lawyers,” he said. “They’ll send it to a collection agency.”

The court has a long history of putting judges accused of misconduct or criminal activity on paid leave.

Among them: Shreveport City Court Judge Lee Irvin, suspended from the bench in January 2020 amid an investigation over whether he gave preferential treatment to a romantic partner whose case before him. Irvin retired from the bench while under investigation in July 2020.

New Orleans Juvenile Court Judge Yvonne Hughes pleaded for more time to defend herself while under paid suspension before the Supreme Court removed her in 2004 and fined her more than $20,000. Hughes allegedly stiffed past law clients once she won election, improperly ordered the release of 1,100 people over two years with the help of a felon in her court and failed to show up or render judgments, the court found.

Other judges facing serious allegations have stepped aside before the moment of truth, ending the commission’s purview.

Byron C. Williams, a criminal court judge in Orleans Parish, resigned last year after 18 months of paid suspension, at an annual salary of $152,000 annual. Williams appears to have averted formal punishment or costs over allegations that he groped the breast of a female court clerk and made inappropriate comments about the appearance of female attorneys from the bench.

The state paid a series of retired judges to cover Williams’ docket.

The rule changes, which the Supreme Court made official on Nov. 19, are the latest in a series of reforms to the judicial discipline process, which in Louisiana has long been shrouded in secrecy. The changes came after a 2019 series of stories by The Advocate | The Times-Picayune revealed a long-buried judicial misconduct case and federal investigation into state Supreme Court Justice Jeff Hughes.

The state Supreme Court changed its rules last year to allow for more public access to judicial discipline cases, including opening its files and hearings to the public once a judge receives a formal misconduct charge.

Judges may still receive secret counseling letters from the Commission called reminders, cautions or admonishments that are not subject to public access.

Jeff Hughes’ fellow Supreme Court justices publicly censured him this summer over a separate case where he was accused of offering $5,000 to a Hammond political operative to switch his allegiance in a race for an open Supreme Court seat.

The court billed Hughes, who remains on the Supreme Court bench, a little over $2,000 for the cost of the investigation.

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Louisiana judges often resign while under investigation. There's a new penalty for that.