Carol Burnett’s Daughter Accuses Comedian of Refusing to ‘Get to Know Who I Am Today,’ Icing Her Out Despite Being Sober

By:Ryan Naumann

Carol Burnett’s daughter Erin revealed her unsuccessful attempts to mend her relationship with the comedian as part of her court battle to see her son Dylan.

Erin submitted an emotional declaration as part of her plea to the court to reinstate visitation. As RadarOnline.com first reported, in 2020, Carol and her husband Brian Miller filed a petition to place Dylan under guardianship.

The entertainer said her daughter struggled with addiction and had been recently placed on a mental health hold by authorities. She said her daughter was in no shape to care for Dylan. Carol said her grandson’s father did not have a suitable home.

The court approved the petition. Carol and her husband were appointed as co-guardians until they hired a third party named Jodi Montgomery to take over.

Erin was granted visitation with Dylan but had a strict set of rules to follow. She was not allowed to contact Dylan without the court’s approval or the guardian being aware.

A court-appointed lawyer for Dylan accused Erin of violating the rules. He said Erin “ran into” Dylan when he was spending time with his father. The three had dinner together. The lawyer said was against the rules and demanded the visitations be suspended.

The court agreed and ordered Erin to have no contact with her son, until a future hearing, in August 2023.

As we first reported, Erin’s lawyer filed a motion this week demanding the visitation be reinstated. He argued that his client was not a danger to Dylan. In addition, he pointed out the hearing on the matter had been pushed multiple times.

In her declaration, Erin explained she was desperate to reconnect with Dylan. She said she had been sober since July 27, 2023 and passed a drug test last week.

She said, “I have had troubles in the past. I take full responsibility for my actions that have caused a tremendous amount of pain and suffering for members of my family and friends that love me.”

Erin expressed her frustration with the court hearing being pushed to September.

She said, “my son will be turning 18 at that time and moving to New York to go to college. That would make it so that I wouldn’t have any contact with him whatsoever and yes he would be moving out of state and I would be missing his very precious high school graduation.”

“I am hardly a danger to my child. I have been drug/alcohol tested consistently since moving back from Hawaii and I work with people in treatment and I must remain completely sober in order to keep my job. I love my job and I love being sober,” she said.

In the declaration, Erin revealed her attempts to reach out to her famous mother.

“I miss my son terribly, and I feel that this is a punitive situation brought on by people trying to keep me away from my son until he moves out of state. There has been no attempt from my family members involved in this court case to get to know who I am today. I am not the same person that I was,” she said.  

“I have reached out consistently to my mother telling her how I’m doing and although I respect and understand her decision to not be in my life, it is punishing to both Dylan and myself. I have a sponsor in AA and I also sponsor three women. I am an active member in this 12-step program and I take my sobriety seriously,” she added.

Erin told the judge, ‘I cannot go back in time, and I can just move forward with a positive loving, and sober breath. my son is incredibly important to me and I have already missed so much precious time with him, and I just want to be back in his life on our terms.”

She ended, “I am not a danger to my son – especially with monitored Zoom visitation. I am certainly not a danger to him by being able to attend his graduation. Dylan should be asked – not just a bunch of high-paid lawyers and a fiduciary who have been paid to keep him away from me. Yes, I have had problems in the past, but that doesn’t mean my son should be taken completely away from me where I have no visitation for over a year. Visitation and custody are not supposed to be used to penalize someone.”

The judge has yet to rule on Erin's request for an emergency hearing on the matter.

Full Article & Source:
Carol Burnett’s Daughter Accuses Comedian of Refusing to ‘Get to Know Who I Am Today,’ Icing Her Out Despite Being Sober

Britney Spears’ attorney plans to file petition requesting to make singer’s temporary conservator permanent

Jodi Montgomery took over after singer's father Jamie stepped down from his role in 2019

By Julius Young

Britney Spears' father, right, has been her legal conservator for years. (Getty Images)

Britney Spears' lawyer plans to file a petition to make the singer's current "care manager" and temporary conservator, Jodi Montgomery, a permanent one, the singer's court-appointed attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, said during a brief court hearing Wednesday. 

Spears' father Jamie stepped down from his role as the star's personal conservator in 2019 due to health issues and a professional conservator ‒ Montgomery ‒ temporarily replaced him.

The petition, which will be addressed during an April 27 hearing, will request to have Montgomery appointed to the permanent conservator of Spears' person.

It remained unclear if the role would also fulfill the needs of her estate. Currently, both Jamie and Bessemer Trust oversee Spears' estate while Montgomery currently acts as Spears' "care manager."

Meanwhile, Wednesday's accounting hearing was set to see the pop superstar’s co-conservators of her estate ‒ Jamie and new party Bessemer Trust ‒ detail Spears’ finances to the court. 

However, the hearing was postponed to an April date as the parties work to determine an accurate list of assets and holdings, and where finances were spent. 

David Glass, a certified family law attorney and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology ‒ who is not involved in the matter ‒ told Fox News that "continuances are pretty standard in accounting hearings" as "both sides are still trying to get the assets and counts worked out." 

Glass also weighed in on Wednesday’s developments surrounding the petition, which he said, could be the first real step to dissolving the collective conservatorship altogether.

"One thing interesting was that Samuel Ingham, the court-appointed counsel for Britney, announced he will be filing a petition to have Jodi Montgomery appointed as the conservator of the person," Glass told Fox News minutes after the hearing concluded. "Right now, the conservators of the estate and the financial matters are Jamie and this Bessemer Trust. And so now he's asking for this Jodi Montgomery to become the permanent conservator of the person."

Glass called the potential move a "big step up" for Montgomery, who had stepped into the primary role of conservator in 2019 on a temporary basis.

"That's the person who is just making personal decisions for medical treatment and whether she needs bodyguards. Does she need to see a therapist? All sorts of everything except money issues for a concerned person," Glass explained. 

A lot of the hubbub around this has been, 'How come [Britney] hasn't asked to have the conservator removed?' This might be the first step towards that, at least moving to a personal conservator who she thinks will be more friendly to her, more favorable to her."

Furthermore, according to Glass, the move to essentially promote Montgomery appears to be the most sensible action considering the fact she's currently Spears’ care manager, a position that is one step below the conservator.

"The care person collects information on the conservative’s health and their medical records and what their doctors say and then summarizes that information and gives it to the conservatory. So in that sense, it's a step up for Ms. Montgomery."

Jamie will have an opportunity to object to the petition to appoint Montgomery as the primary conservator as well, Glass maintained.

"Jamie will be required to file any opposition he might have as to why he thinks he should not be removed as the conservator of the person [Britney] and then the court can decide what it needs to do if it needs more information," Glass said.

"At that point, the court can set an evidentiary trial where people testify or if the court feels it has enough information, it can actually rule at that point," he continued. "It's rare that a probate court will rule just based on the papers. They almost always go to some sort of evidentiary objection, evidentiary hearing."

The continuance of the case Wednesday was requested by Vivian Thoreen, the acting attorney for Jamie. Although she did not provide a reason for the request, both parties agreed to recess until April 27.

Jamie has been the target of the #FreeBritney movement since renewed attention was placed on the singer following the release of the documentary "Framing Britney Spears." Currently, the conservatorship gives Jamie control of the star’s estate. However, Spears recently began taking legal steps to reclaim agency over her life.

Reps and attorneys for Spears did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

Full Article & Source:

Britney Spears’ attorney plans to file petition requesting to make singer’s temporary conservator permanent

Britney Spears’ Attorney To Nominate Permanent Conservator Of Person

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The court-appointed attorney for Britney Spears said Wednesday he will bring a petition to have his client’s care manager named the permanent conservator of the singer’s person next month.

Samuel Ingham III told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny during a brief hearing that he will nominate Jodi Montgomery to serve in the new role. She has been the temporary conservator of Spears’ person since 2019.

Spears has been under conservatorship since 2008, when she began exhibiting bizarre behavior, including shaving her head.

The 39-year-old entertainer’s father, Jamie Spears, and the Bessemer Trust Co. are the co-conservators of the Spears estate and share management of her business affairs. Ingham has said his client would be happier without her father involved.

“It’s no small secret my client doesn’t want her father as the co-conservator,” Ingham said previously.

An attorney for Lynne Spears, the entertainer’s mother, told the court that his client does not object to Bessemer Trust Co. serving as co-conservator of her daughter’s estate. Ingham raised the issue after saying he was uncertain whether Lynne Spears had any problems with Bessemer’s participation.

The parties will return to court on April 27 for a hearing on accounting issues.

Full Article & Source:

Britney Spears’ Attorney To Nominate Permanent Conservator Of Person

House hunters: How an anti-blight law has become a tool for ambitious landlords in Allegheny County

The 12-year-old conservatorship act has helped some landlords to build their Pittsburgh-area portfolios, but some property owners and neighborhood advocates are crying foul.

 

by Rich Lord

 

Kathleen Wilson stands in front of a four-unit house, owned by her family since 1983, on Wilkinsburg's Peebles Street. She is fighting a petition filed by a company run by attorney Marc Taiani, which hopes to take control of the house under the state's conservatorship law. (Photo by Jay Manning/PublicSource)

On a sunny November day, attorney Marc Taiani and five other men walked into the stout brown house owned by 77-year-old Kathleen Wilson, intent on assembling the damning information they needed to seize control of it.

“An open sewer pipe. That’s something,” Taiani said as he toured the dusty basement of the four-unit house on Wilkinsburg’s Peebles Street. “Do you believe that’s asbestos right there?” he asked building inspector Bill Martin, pointing at the ceiling. (Martin said he couldn’t tell.) “They have locks on the windows,” Taiani mused later, noting a potential safety hazard. “They actually have key locks!”

Wilson, who is battling breast cancer and was accompanied by lawyer Weldianne Scales, could only watch as the team critiqued the house her family bought, in 1983, for $82,000. If Taiani could prove that it had not been recently occupied, marketed or substantially rehabilitated — and that it's a public nuisance, unfit for human habitation or a fire hazard — then his firm could be named the building’s “conservator,” and might eventually become its owner.

Those are the rules laid out in the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act, a 12-year-old state law meant to allow responsible owners, under court supervision, to take over empty buildings that can otherwise drag neighborhoods down. Some community groups have used conservatorship petitions to seize and improve blighted properties, but more cases are filed by landlords and other private developers. And while conservatorship in the hands of a nonprofit may have helped East Liberty’s development, some observers are concerned about its potential effects in nearby Garfield and Wilkinsburg.

Judges oversee all conservatorships, and in many cases the property owner of record makes no effort to oppose a takeover. Once in a while, though, a determined owner like Wilson emerges.

Standing in the Peebles Street backyard littered only with one broken window, Wilson said that health problems compelled her to pause — but not end — efforts to rehab the building. Then, in April, Taiani filed a petition to make his company the building’s conservator.

Kathleen Wilson faces Bill Martin in the basement of a four-unit house she owns in Wilkinsburg. Martin was hired by attorney Marc Taiani to inspect the home. One of Taiani's companies has petitioned to become the building's conservator. (Photo by Rich Lord/PublicSource)

“It’s unadulterated greed,” Wilson said. The petition spurred her to scramble to hire a lawyer, restart work on the property and secure financing, in between chemotherapy appointments. Of the seven-month court fight with Taiani, she said: “This has taken a lot of energy.”

Taiani, in an interview conducted on the Peebles Street sidewalk, said he’s just trying to convert an abandoned house, six blocks from his own Wilkinsburg home, into occupied apartments. “Had Ms. Wilson taken care of the property, as a true owner should, and maintained it, and had it occupied,” he said, “then we wouldn’t be here today.”

'Amazing discretion'

The law that Taiani is using to try to take control of the Peebles Street property aims to balance the rights of owners with the realities of abandonment.

Property rights are a pillar of American law — starting with the Fifth Amendment’s restriction on government seizure of private property — but they are not absolute. The Great Recession of 2008, which saw surging foreclosures, spurred concern about properties left to decay by disinterested owners. So state legislators, led by then-Rep. Don Walko, a North Side Democrat, passed an act allowing entities “with experience in the rehabilitation of residential, commercial or industrial buildings and the ability to provide or obtain the necessary financing” to petition courts to take control of abandoned properties.

Under the act, properties are eligible for takeover if they meet all of the following criteria:

• Haven’t been legally occupied for 12 months;
• Have neither changed hands in six months, nor been marketed for sale for 60 days
• Aren’t subjects of foreclosure filings;
• Could potentially attract children who might then be harmed by conditions on the property;
• Risk attracting prostitution, drug use or vagrancy;
• Negatively affect the wellbeing of neighbors;
• Are found to fit three of the following five characterizations: public nuisance, unfit for human habitation, risk of fire, subject to unauthorized entry, or in need of substantial rehabilitation and not subject to any such work in the prior 12 months.

A “competent entity” that is either a nonprofit developer, or a resident or business located 2,000 feet of the building, can petition the Court of Common Pleas to name a conservator for any such building. If a judge approves, the conservator can then start rehabilitating the building.

 

Full Article & Source:

House hunters: How an anti-blight law has become a tool for ambitious landlords in Allegheny County

Senator’s petition calls on nursing homes to allow cameras in rooms

by Whitney Bryan

Michigan Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) has started a petition calling for nursing homes to allow residents to install cameras in their rooms.

By signing the Nursing Home Cameras Petition, Runestad said residents would call on nursing homes, members of the Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to support Senate Bill 77.

According to Runestad’s, SB 77 is a measure that would establish that a resident of a nursing home facility or their representative would be permitted to monitor their private room using an electronic monitoring device under certain conditions.

“Cameras can act as a deterrent to some of the most heinous behavior taking place, and they can give peace of mind to family members worried about the care of their loved ones,” Runestad said. “If an episode of abuse does happen and is caught on tape, legal video evidence can be used to bring justice to the abusers.”

Runestad said his petition was sparked by a video recently made public of a 20-year-old Detroit nursing home resident beating his 75-year-old roommate on Friday, May 15.

“It shouldn’t take a viral video of abuse or a global pandemic to convince our leaders that we ought to be protecting our seniors,” Runestad said. “It’s long past time we do something to protect nursing home residents from abuse.”

Under SB 77, Runestad said residents and their families would pay for and oversee the cameras. If a resident’s living space is a shared one, all roommates would have to consent to have a camera. Signs would have to be posted in the facility and the room itself to make it very clear that a camera is present. Additional provisions would allow the curtaining of cameras for medical procedures and other sensitive times to protect privacy.

“I urge everyone to sign this petition to let leaders in Michigan know that residents should be allowed to install a camera in their nursing home if they wish,” Runestad said. “Make your voice heard now!

To sign the petition, click here.

Full Article & Source: 
Senator’s petition calls on nursing homes to allow cameras in rooms

Lessons From Buzz Aldrin Guardianship: Twin Filings Put Focus on Abuse

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon

Buzz Aldrin was the second person to set foot on the moon’s surface and only 12 people have set foot there. But now he is one of an estimated one and a half million adults who are the subject of guardianship proceedings in the United States. The guardianship case was filed in Brevard County, Florida, on May 30, by two of Aldrin’s three children and by his business manager. Aldrin has vigorously opposed the proceeding and in response filed a separate action charging them with breach of fiduciary duty; exploitation of the elderly; constructive fraud; unjust enrichment; undue influence, conversion and conspiracy.

It is not possible at this time to assess the strength of the allegations of the guardianship or the verified complaint filed in response. The guardianship file is sealed and the responsive suit is a public record so only one side of the case is revealed. In addition, these cases have only been recently filed and it is too early to predict the outcome of either one. It is appropriate at this time however, to call attention to Aldrin’s response to the guardianship, suggesting that the best defense may be an offense.

The Florida Guardianship

Aldrin, age 88, has named his children to important position in the several interests he has created (Buzz Aldrin Enterprises, Inc; Buzz Aldrin Space Foundation, Inc.; Sharespace Foundation, Inc., Aldrin Space Institute and Aldrin Center for Entrepreneurship in Space) indicating a close familial relationship at one time. He has also named one of his sons as trustee of a revocable trust and agent under a power of attorney. But, similar to the fate of Shakespeare’s King Lear, it does not appear that the loving relationship has continued, resulting in the filing of a guardianship petition. It has been reported that within the guardianship petition is an allegation that Aldrin is “in cognitive decline.” There may also have been specific allegations that he suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Florida statutes require that within five days after a petition for determination of incapacity has been filed the court must appoint a three-member “examining committee.” One member of the committee must be a psychiatrist or other physician. The other two members of the committee must be either a psychologist, or gerontologist, or another psychiatrist or physician, or registered nurse, or nurse practitioner, or licensed social worker, or person with an advanced degree in gerontology from an accredited institution of higher learning or a person appointed at the discretion of the court. A comprehensive examination must be made of the alleged incapacitated person and it must include a physical examination, a mental health examination and a functional assessment. Each committee member must submit a written report.

Buzz Aldrin’s Response

The unusual aspect of this case is the response of Aldrin to the guardianship filing. Most subjects of a guardianship who disagree about the need for the court intervention present their defense in the original proceeding. In this case, Aldrin filed a separate action on June 7, against his children (and his business manager and several organizations with which he is associated). Aldrin’s verified complain paints a picture of a celebrity with the capacity to manage his own affairs who is being manipulated by his children and business manager for their own selfish ends. The specific language of the complaint alleges that the defendants:

“… have assumed control and access to the plaintiff’s personal credit cards, bank accounts, trust money, space memorabilia, space artifacts, social media accounts and all elements of the Buzz Aldrin brand.”

“… have been for the past number of years been slandering the plaintiff in public and/or to other individuals or small groups by stating the plaintiff has dementia and Alzheimer’s. The defendants have used this tactic to gain further control over the plaintiff’s personal relationships, business contacts and assets.”

“… have effectively established a de facto guardianship over the plaintiff.”

“… have forbidden the plaintiff to marry and specifically and deliberately have undermined bullied and defamed all of the plaintiff’s personal romantic relationships.”

He also charges defendants with exploitation of the elderly. “Plaintiff is a vulnerable adult, as defined by Florida Statutes and pursuant to Florida Statute Section 415.111, due to the plaintiff’s advanced age of 88 years. Defendant Andrew Aldrin, individually exploited the plaintiff by knowingly and through deception or intimidation deprived the plaintiff of his finances, property and knowledge of the plaintiff’s business affairs.”

Response of Defendants to Suit by Buzz Aldrin

It is noteworthy that in the case initiated by Aldrin, there is a motion by the defendants asking that the court take judicial notice of the reports from Dr. Margaret Rank, Carmal Morelli, RN and Marti Jo McCoy, LCSW. They are each identified as member of the “examining committee” in the separate guardianship case. The examining committee reports are described as confidential and therefore not attached to the motion. The fact that the defendants sought to have the court made aware of the examining committee reports is an indication that the defendants believe the reports contain matters that are favorable to their position and unfavorable to Aldrin. In addition, the defendants have filed a motion for a stay of the proceeding initiated by Aldrin pending the outcome of a ”… previously filed action to determine the capacity of the plaintiff.”

Conclusion

Aldrin joins a list of many well-known individuals who have been the subject of guardianship proceedings (Brooke Astor; Sumner Redstone; Glen Campbell; Mickey Rooney; Casey Kasem and Zsa Zsa Gabor). The proceeding was brought despite the fact that Aldrin had executed a power of attorney and revocable trust agreement, documents often thought to obviate the need for a guardianship. In the Aldrin case, as in many of the other high-profile guardianships, the proceeding is evidence of fractured family relationships.

The cases also demonstrate that no one is immune from the possibility of being the subject of a guardianship. Status alone or financial wealth alone or the use of inter-vivos estate planning documents alone is not enough to ensure that an older individual is insulated from a guardianship proceeding.

The twin filings in this case are a part of the current debate over whether the guardianship statutes are protecting the elderly from abuse or subjecting them to abuse. Once a rather unusual proceeding, the guardianship is now commonly a part of the trust and estates practice.

Full Article & Source:
Lessons From Buzz Aldrin Guardianship: Twin Filings Put Focus on Abuse

Down syndrome advocates want Netflix to remove Tom Segura's comedy special

Click to Watch Videos

 MADISON, Wis. - Local disability advocates are coming together to ask Netflix to remove comedian Tom Segura's "Disgraceful" standup show.

Representatives from the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County and the Madison Metropolitan School District gathered at Gigi's Playhouse on Wednesday to send a message that the word "retard" is not acceptable.

"You can't say retarded anymore," Segura said in the comedy special. "People get very upset. I don't really support the arguments against it."

"Now you can't say that. You gotta be like, that's not smart. Your idea has an extra 21st chromosome, if you ask me," he continued.

More than 85,000 people have signed a petition to ask Netflix to remove the sketch and issue an apology.

The Madison community is joining the cause, and encouraging others to get involved.

"The R word is not a joke, never has been. It's not meant to be a punchline," said Nicki Vander Meulen, a member of Madison's Board of Education.

"Letting people think it's okay to bully or target people with Down syndrome is completely unacceptable," said Nancy Gianni, the president at CEO of Gigi's Playhouse.

The nonprofit in Madison is one of 35 locations. The space is a Down syndrome achievement center providing free educational and therapeutic programming.

The founder's daughter Gigi created a video directed at Netflix.

At the press conference, Michael Johnson, the president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County, vowed to become an advocate and supporter of Gigi's Playhouse and to make sure each club is properly serving and supporting local families with Down syndrome.

"These are beautiful people. These are our people, these are smart young men and women that live in our community," said Johnson.

Parents said although they can't change Segura's way of thinking, they can stop Netflix from airing the program.

Speakers want the larger community to know that using the word is not okay and it is considered hate speech,

"When kids use it, when adults use it - please intervene. There are different words to use that can describe whatever is happening," said Danielle Kaiser, the mother of a 13-year-old with Down syndrome.

Full Article & Source:
Down syndrome advocates want Netflix to remove Tom Segura's comedy special

Shenanigans in the Montgomery County, PA, Courthouse - Florence's Story

Are you safe from abuse if your paperwork is in order, i.e. a trust? Decide for yourself. This video features Judge Lois Murphy, attorney Robert Slutsky, professional guardian Louis Horvath and his company Intervention Associates.

Source: Shenanigans in the Montgomery County, PA, Courthouse - Florence's Story

Petition: Top law enforcement officials ignore attorney’s abuse of disabled woman

PETITION BACKGROUND:
My mother, Genevieve Rowan, journalist and childhood trauma survivor, sustained abuses and cruelties under the hand of a guardianship attorney, Ronald L. McLaughlin, until she could endure no more.

The crimes he committed are documented in this report: *http://blackhawkgroup-midwest.blogspot.com/*, showing why the county prosecutor should seek his indictment.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has leaked that every five days a ward of the state of Ohio dies a preventable death in a nursing home due to abuse or neglect. Women have faced mistreatment in the courts for millennium - here’s the measure of that debacle: *http://bookofsusanna.blogspot.com/*. And it’s got to stop. The prosecution of Mr. McLaughlin is a good way to proceed.

Source:  Petition:  Top law enforcement officials ignore attorney’s abuse of disabled woman

Petition Urges Washington State Lawmakers to Protect Older Adults from Financial Exploitation

Thousands of Washingtonians are calling on state lawmakers to protect older adults from financial exploitation. Advocates delivered nearly 8,000 petitions to lawmakers in every district today, asking them to pass companion bills HB 1153 and SB 5099. The bills would increase the penalties for and make it easier to prosecute people who exploit older adults. 

Camano Island resident Amy Lecoq is in Olympia today because her grandmother was scammed out of more than $200,000 over a three-year period. She says her grandmother was exploited by someone who called herself a friend.

"She lost a lot, you know," she said. "She didn't just lose money, but she stole her confidence in herself, she stole parts of her health, she stole her time, she stole her ability to believe she could make good decisions. She didn't just steal her money."

Nearly one in 20 older Americans are financially mistreated by a caregiver, friend, family member or someone else with access to their finances, according to the Department of Justice. Washington state is one of 13 states that still does not have a criminal statute for the financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.

The woman who exploited Lecoq's grandmother eventually was convicted of nine counts of felony theft, although she has appealed the decision. Lecoq's grandmother has received only one restitution check for $11.

Full Article and Source:
Senior Issues/Petition Urges Lawmakers to Protect Older Adults From Financial Exploitation

Chief White Owl's Law - Nursing Home Reform Petition

RESIDENTS’ RIGHTS IN NURSING HOMES. Consumer Information Sheet

If you are a resident or have a loved one in a nursing home, this information highlights your rights. Residents’ rights are part of the federal Nursing Home Reform Law enacted in 1987 in the Social Security Act. The law requires nursing homes to “promote and protect the rights of each resident” and places a strong emphasis on individual dignity and self-determination.

Nursing homes must meet residents’ rights requirements if they participate in Medicare or Medicaid.

The following is an overview of the ways that the law protects residents’ rights.

SIGN the petition!

Sign the Petition to Let Out People With Disabilities Needlessly Living in Nursing Homes in Massachusetts

Adam displays the bruises on his body after being beaten 

By signing this petition, you will force state agencies to act. Thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities have been shipped across state lines and are now languishing in nursing homes in Massachusetts. New York often pays these out-of-state institutions twice the rate it pays its own in-state facilities, making the care for people with disabilities big business in Massachusetts and other states. Isolated from their families and other support systems, these displaced New Yorkers are vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Even worse, they often are trapped in a court system that won't let them out.

This petition will be delivered to:
Disability Law Center of Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Department of Health
New York Department of Health

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

Sign the Petition to Let Out People With Disabilities Needlessly Living in Nursing Homes in Massachusetts

Adam displays the bruises on his body after being beaten 

By signing this petition, you will force state agencies to act. Thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities have been shipped across state lines and are now languishing in nursing homes in Massachusetts. New York often pays these out-of-state institutions twice the rate it pays its own in-state facilities, making the care for people with disabilities big business in Massachusetts and other states. Isolated from their families and other support systems, these displaced New Yorkers are vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Even worse, they often are trapped in a court system that won't let them out.

This petition will be delivered to:
Disability Law Center of Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Department of Health
New York Department of Health

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

Children Aren't Being Told After Parents Die. CHANGE THE LAW

Imagine browsing your dad's social media page one day and discovering that he had died...months earlier.

That's where my story begins.

Close your eyes and envision all of the best memories you can ever recall about your father or mother, or the person you call mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa.

Imagine how would you feel if that parent (or grandparent) died, and you were never told?? Did you know that this can happen to anyone, and our current laws allow it?

I am my late father's only birth child (an only son). I had a relationship with my father for nearly 50 years. He was married to his 4th wife (not my birth mom). He was a grandfather to my kids.

He was originally from Wisconsin, but later moved to Chicago, then California, while I lived in another state. When he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he called me to tell me he was headed for immediate aggressive chemo treatment, and then urged me not to come out to visit him.

His widow has since indicated she felt I should have dropped everything and traveled out to visit him. My dad and I arranged to visit at a later date after his initial treatment. Soon after, he received a more positive prognosis, and became more optimistic.

We were in contact about his estate plans and the activities of his grandkids, as recently as days before his death.

He passed away after deteriorating rapidly (days after my last call with him). I learned this only after discovering a eulogy message posted to him on his social media page...several WEEKS later.

I was not notified of his death by his wife, OR by any other member of my family. Nobody contacted me by any means of communication (which they had). I've since learned this is called isolation abuse.  (Click to continue)

Full Article & Source:
Children Aren't Being Told After Parents Die. CHANGE THE LAW

Petition: Demand a Federal Investigation into Abuses in Probate Guardianship in America

All around America, innocent vulnerable citizens and their families are abused and exploited by a nefarious probate court system which destroys individuals and families. While the intent of guardianship laws is to protect such individuals, the court approved greed-based professional guardianship industry perverts the laws and enslaves families as it diverts the valid intergenerational transfer of America's wealth into their own pockets.

Only a federal probe similar to operation Graylord can root out the perpetrators of this demonic cancer in America perpetrated in probate courts across the country.

Trillions of dollars passed through probate court every year and every American with assets can expect to be involved in probate court at some time in their lives.

Please support this petition and read more at www.aaapg.net

SIGN the petition

Petition to Correct Nevada Guardianship Law

Please clip, sign and mail or sign the petition online at http:www.TheVegasVoice.net.

(Nevada law requires a guardian be a resident of the state.  Many retirees move to Nevada and their families, still in the workforce,  live in other states; thereby preventing family from being appointed as guardian despite being ready, willing and able to serve -- and the Alleged Incompetent Person's wishes for family to handle his/her affairs rather than a professional guardian or a Public Guardian).

Petition to Correct Nevada Guardianship Law

Please clip, sign and mail or sign the petition online at www.TheVegasVoice.net

(Nevada law requires a guardian be a resident of the state.  Many retirees move to Nevada and their families, still in the workforce,  live in other states; thereby preventing family from being appointed as guardian despite being ready, willing and able to serve -- and the Alleged Incompetent Person's wishes for family to handle his/her affairs rather than a professional guardian or a Public Guardian) 

In Retaliation for a Downtown Protest, Cook County Public Guardian's Office Evicts Senior Citizen, Sets Family's Belongings on the Curb

As employees with the Cook County Public Guardian's office remove Mildred Willis' belongings from her Calumet Park home, her neighbors and supporters from across the city are currently rallying to keep the Willis family in their home. These efforts to stop the Willis family's eviction come one week after they rallied downtown outside the offices of the Public Guardians office, calling for Mildred Willis to be released from the Renaissance nursing home and allowed to return home.

"I can't believe they are doing this," exclaimed Stacy Willis, Mildred Willis' daughter. "My mother is still in the nursing home. Where am I supposed to put her things? Where are my son and I supposed to go?"

On August 25th, Stacy Willis and other family members rallied outside of the Cook County Public Guardians office to deliver more than three thousand petitions calling on the Public Guardians to halt their efforts to evict the Willis family and to return Mildred Willis to her home. In response to this demonstration, the head of the Public Guardians office, Robert F. Harris offered to meet with Mildred Harris' family and after meeting, to look into their complaints.

However, instead of working with the Willis family, the Public Guardians directed the Cook County Sheriff's office to evict them at gunpoint. While changing the locks on their Calumet Park home, the Public Guardians office promised that Mildred Willis' belongings would not be set out on the street and that they would have an opportunity to arrange to have their belongings picked up by a moving truck. 

Rather than following through on this agreement, the Public Guardians office began removing all of the Willis family belongings this morning, the day after their eviction. When Mildred's daughter inquired as to why this would be the case, the Public Guardian's office informed them that even though they had no way of moving their belongings that "this is the way it was going to be."

For the Willis family, this doubles the pain of having to deal with being forcibly evicted from their home. Not only is the family in a situation where they had to sleep in a police station because they had no place to go, now they face the prospect of having all of their possessions stolen or ruined by the rain simply because the Cook County Public Guardians office would not allow them to make arrangements to collect their belongings.

Source:
In Retaliation for a Downtown Protest, Cook County Public Guardians Office Evicts Senior Citizen, Sets Family's Belongings on the Curb

How to Stop a Guardianship in Florida - Petition for Incapacity

Jeffrey Skatoff

There are certain steps that, if in place prior to the guardianship proceeding, can avoid the guardianship altogether, even if a finding of incapacity has been made. These steps include the creation and funding of a revocable living trust, the creation of a durable power of attorney, and the creation of a health care proxy. The guardianship court is required to determine whether there are lesser restrictive means to protect the incapacitated person that a full fledged guardianship. If there are such less restrictive means, the guardianship court is required to to implement them instead of the guardianship, unless certain circumstances are present (which could be financial exploitation of the incapacitated person by the person named as fiduciary in the documents).

•A revocable trust is a trust that names a successor trustee to manage one's assets in the event of incapacity. If the assets have been retitled in the name of the revocable trust, the successor trustee will immediately assume control of the assets, obviating the need for a guardianship in many cases.

•A durable power of attorney gives to a named person (the agent) the right to control the finances of the principal who is now incapacitated. A durable power fo attorney is a well recognized document under Florida law.

•A health care proxy allows another person to make medical decisions on one's behalf.

With these three documents in place, the guardianship court may avoid the appointment of a guardian.

Full Article and Source:
How to Stop a Guardianship in Florida- Petition for Incapacity

Editorial: Elder Abuse

Elder abuse and financial exploitation of the elderly is aggressively accelerating. The guardianship systems in our state courts and our protective agencies intended to safeguard the defenseless, all too often fail. More than two-thirds of the perpetrators of abuse against the elderly are family members as well as individuals in the care giving profession.

Please listen to this heart wrenching story and draw your own conclusions. Not one circumstance I depict in this story is concocted, there is evidence. Why would I squander my time to construct an article on false pretenses?

Nestled in a small town in Northern Michigan named Maple City, encompassing a population of three hundred, a 73 year old strong willed, loyal man exists; barely. Deprived of his earnings and simple lifestyle by his own family; he now depends on the community and friends.

Milton Sandula's, often referred to as "Midge", career started and ended working for General Motors, possessing numerous patents with the vehicle manufacture, all while being unable to read or write! Disadvantaged with never being taught to read or write, he conceded in his family to control his finances and they most certainly did! Orchestrating a conceptional volition of fraudulent thievery, blackmail and retaliation threats throughout the years, using his inability to read or write to their advantage, manipulating pension, social security and disability payments for their own egomaniacal benefit; living a luxurious lifestyle while leaving Midge famished, poverty-stricken and practically homeless if it were not for support of the community and friends.

Formerly a man with assets, not liabilities, is living out his golden years now empty-handed, harrowing for the essentials to exist. A lifetime of callous work now paints a bleak and gloomy depiction of his future. Meanwhile his daughter-in-law, a Women's Resource Center advocate in Traverse City, Michigan, and family reap his wealth.

Elder abuse and financial exploitation is a present reality. Protective agencies all too often fail to recognize internal breaches of policies. Communities and individuals alike need to be informed of these deceitful acts against the elderly and take a stand against elder abuse.

I am respectively requesting the board of directors for the Traverse City, Michigan Women's Resource Center to candidly inquire on their employee's actions and determine if the Women's Resource Center's vision in being advocated by its employee's.

*I am considering creating a petition to be circulated on Midge's behalf and presenting it to the Attorney General Bill Schuette.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen

Source:
Elder Abuse