I-TEAM Update: MO Man Files Federal Lawsuit, Claims 'False Imprisonment' in Guardianship

KFVS12 News The St. Francois County man whose guardianship case I profiled in the fall of 2013 filed a federal lawsuit, claiming he was falsely imprisoned and his civil rights were violated.

Richard Wann's case names numerous defendants, including St. Francois County, Public Administrator Kenneth Rohrer, and the attorneys and judge on his case along with the local hospital and nursing home he lived in for eight and a half months.

Richard Wann

According to court documents, Wann was admitted to the hospital for a colonoscopy but instead of being released to return home, he was "admitted to the geriatric ward based on a false assessment of his mental state."

"Thus began the nightmare of involuntary imprisonment," Wann's attorney Stephen Banton alleged.

Wann is seeking a jury trial and any damages the court deems appropriate.

Banton filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on June 8, 2015.

Source:
I-Team Update: Man Files Federal Lawsuit, Claims False Imprisonment in Guardianship

See Also:
I-Team Investigation: Stuck in the System
I-Team Investigation Stuck in the System, Part Two

I-Team Update: Fixing a Broken System

If you need a guardian, is the system working for you?

Experts say Missouri needs to do more to protect wards, lessen workloads and give families more peace of mind

"Clearly, something is broken in Missouri," Sharon Bock said.

Bock is the clerk and comptroller for Palm Beach County, Florida. Last year, she led the charge to reform the guardianship system in her home state.

"Missouri has the responsibility to make sure that the statutes are clear, that all of the statutes are designed to be in the best interest of this person who has lost their ability to either have control of their body or control of their money," Bock said.

After profiling the guardianship case of Pauline Williams of Sikeston in February, I reached out to the state lawmakers serving Scott County to ask them if the state's guardianship system needs to be fixed.

"It just appears to be that that's something that's been overlooked,” admits State Representative Holly Rehder.

Full Article, Video and Source:
I-Team Update:  Fixing a Broken System

See Also:
I-Team:  Broken System