Prosecutors decline to file elder abuse charges against Casey Kasem’s widow

Casey Kasem's wife, Jean, arrives at Kitsap County court on Friday, May 30, 2014, with a lawyer. (Photo: FOX News)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles prosecutors have rejected filing elder abuse charges against Casey Kasem’s widow.

A charge evaluation sheet released Friday by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office states there is insufficient evidence to file charges against Jean Kasem.

She was married to the radio personality for more than 30 years but was stripped of control over his medical care in the final days of his life.

Casey Kasem died in June 2014 in Washington state, where his wife took him after removing him from a medical facility where he was receiving around-the-clock care.

The longtime “American Top 40″ host had a form of dementia and severe bedsores when he died.

His daughter, Kerri Kasem, was named his conservator and sought elder abuse charges against her stepmother.

Kerri Kasem released the following statement later Friday:

“My family is very sad to learn the Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey has decided not to file charges against Jean Kasem.  We did everything we could to save my Dad at the end of his life, including getting an emergency court order for conservatorship.   But we were too late.  My father’s second wife Jean had done everything she could to keep our father from us while not providing the quality care that he – and every other senior in our society – deserves. 

“We’re hopeful that the prosecutors in Kitsap County, Washington where my father was taken against his will and later died, will do the right thing and file charges against Jean.  

“The Los Angeles County District Attorney, with her professed interest in ending elder abuse, could do more.  Her website says ‘she leads the largest prosecutorial office in the nation, with nearly 1,000 attorneys, 300 investigators and 800 support staff members.’

“It’s a sad day in our country when our parents, family members and loved ones die at the hands of others, and our elected prosecutors elect to do nothing.”

Full Article & Source:
Prosecutors decline to file elder abuse charges against Casey Kasem’s widow

See Also:
Kasem's family still at odds as judge says host must be fed, hydrated

 Casey Kasem, Legendary Radio Personality, Has Been Found

Authorities: Casey Kasem found in Washington state

Judge orders investigation into Casey Kasem's whereabouts

Judge rejects conservatorship for Casey Kasem

Casey Kasem Near Death but Alert, Children Suing Wife Jean for Conservatorship NOT Will and Money

Asking for help at 80 — America’s new faces of hunger

Dorothy Abruzzo, 83, poses for a portrait in her home in Naples, Florida.
“I never in my life thought I would have needed charity.” Photo by Ariel 
 Min/PBS NewsHour

NAPLES, Fla. — The warm sands and tony neighborhoods surrounding this retirement refuge are known as Florida’s “Paradise Coast.” But for seniors struggling to keep food on the table, it’s far from a paradise.

Seniors who go hungry in Naples are indicative of the problems facing seniors nationwide. In 2013, the last year for which data is available, 15.5 percent of America’s seniors — roughly 9.6 million people — faced the threat of hunger. Personal illness, family financial trouble — especially following the recession — or losing a spouse add to the problem. When mortgage payments and medicine are a priority, there is not always money left for food.

Tonight on the PBS NewsHour, watch a full report on seniors and hunger. We reported from Naples, where we met several people who were willing to share their stories with us.

Harry Knight was a jeweler and the main breadwinner of the family
 before he and his wife Sarah followed their daughter to Naples from
New Jersey. Photo by Ariel Min/PBS NewsHour

Harry and Sarah Knight, 76 and 75, moved to Naples 14 years ago after selling their house in New Jersey. Harry found a job at Publix grocery store, which helped make ends meet. But things started to crumble when Sarah’s numerous health problems — Crohn’s disease complicated with a string of other ailments, like giant cell arteritis, polymyalgia and fibromyalgia — began to drain them of their funds. Then, Harry got fired after a verbal clash with his manager.

Now, the Knights budget about $100 for food each month. They receive about $17 worth of food stamps per month and the rest they receive from Jewish Family and Community Services of Southwest Florida, a local organization that provides food, services and activities for seniors in the region.

“If it wasn’t for the [JFCS], we’d be starving,” Sarah said. JFCS provides them three gift cards with $25 on each every month, which they can use to purchase necessities other than food.

Photos of family and relatives cover the walls of the Knights’ dining room. 
Photo by Ariel Min/PBS NewsHour

Even with the help, they’re still $700 short on their monthly budget, a large part of which is for medicine for both Harry and Sarah need, especially after Harry was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s last year. Research has found that food insecure seniors are more vulnerable to disability and are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension, which require a healthy diet.

“This is my biggest gripe. I said, ‘All my life, I’ve struggled,’” Sarah said. “’So now, in my 70s, I have to struggle all over again?’ It bothered me a lot. In fact, I felt suicidal — that’s why I’m going to a therapist.”

Jaclynn Faffer, president and CEO of JFCS of Southwest Florida, did not foresee this problem, either, when she first opened the senior center.

Jaclynn Faffer waits for members to arrive for the Wednesday luncheon at 
Jewish Family and Community Services’ senior center in Naples. Photo by 
Ariel Min/PBS NewsHour

“We were surprised to find the significant needs that exist in Collier County, in terms of financial security and food insecurity,” Faffer said, adding that out of their 676 members, about 60 percent are at, near or below the poverty line.

The JFCS senior center also provides grocery deliveries for those who cannot drive or are without a car — another common problem faced by food insecure seniors nationwide. Research has shown that typically, if you cannot drive, it makes it harder to secure affordable food. Among low-income families without a car, 64 percent are food insecure, about twice the rate of low-income families that do have access to transportation.

Angelo and Mina Maffucci pose for a portrait in the kitchen of their son’s 
apartment, where they’ve been living for about five years — since they lost 
their house. Photo by Ariel Min/PBS NewsHour

Angelo and Mina Maffucci, 82 and 79, are among those who struggle without the use of a car. Not too long after they moved to Naples, they lost most of their savings in the mortgage nosedive and on medical bills for Angelo’s back injury and prostate cancer.

They were able to live in an apartment their son owns, free of rent, but without a car or money, they sometimes went for an entire day with just a cup of coffee.

Mina Maffucci says she and her husband Angelo spent a few difficult years
before seeking assistance for food. Photo by Ariel Min/PBS NewsHour

“We hated to ask, you know? We didn’t know where to go, because we didn’t … ever have a problem like this before,” Mina said.

Currently, they live on Social Security checks, food stamps, grocery delivery from the JFCS senior center and additional help from their son.

Dorothy Abruzzo moved to Florida from Philadelphia 24 years ago. Photo by 
Ariel Min/PBS NewsHour

Dorothy Abruzzo’s apartment is impeccably clean and adorned with carefully curated vintage furniture that she has collected over the past few decades, with empty walls completely free of any photos except for one: her parent’s wedding portrait from the early 1900s.

Twenty-four years ago, after her husband died, Dorothy followed her daughter to Naples from Philadelphia. She paid cash for a condo in a luxurious area — Pelican Bay — then had to keep lending money to her daughter who was going through some financial and marital trouble. Dorothy worked a daytime job at a luxury dress shop until she had to go through an emergency carotid artery surgery that left her sick and unable to drive for a while. She was able to recover, but a recent mismanagement of funds by a relative left Dorothy with pretty much nothing, forcing her to rent and live on food stamps.

“I mean, I never in my life thought I would have needed charity. … 83 and I’m renting and on food stamps,” Dorothy said. “I’ve put myself on a budget [for food] — $159 for the whole month.”

Beatrice poses for a portrait on her bed. Photo by Ariel Min/PBS NewsHour

At 94 years old, Beatrice — a pseudonym, because she wished to stay anonymous — still drives a beat-up, red Pontiac everywhere, even with her lungs semi-permanently in need of oxygen support.
She’s always been independent — and still wants to be — but when it comes to food nowadays, that became almost impossible, especially after moving out of her son’s condo after he suffered a stroke.

“You know that [SNAP benefits and supplemental food programs] makes me feel very insecure to even talk about it, because, I [wasn’t] that type at one time. And to get this at 94, and to have these people help, it’s unbelievable.” she said.

On top of her medical bills, Beatrice has to pay the monthly rent of $885 for her efficiency apartment, and she’s worried that the rent will go up in the fall. She receives $70 in food stamps each month and additional help from the JFCS senior center, including grocery gift cards and the food pantry.

“I do everything alone. I go shopping alone, still drive a car. I’m very independent. That’s the thing that bothers me. At one time, I was in control. But the recession has done terrible things,” Beatrice said.

Members of Jewish Family and Community Services senior center arrive 
for lunch and activities. Photo by Ariel Min/PBS NewsHour

Over the next decade, the number of baby boomers struggling with food insecurity is expected to rise by 50 percent.

Government food programs won’t be enough to serve this population. That is where programs like those offered by Jewish Family and Community Services’ senior center fill in the gaps. But many of these groups nationwide face long waiting lists and worry, too, about the coming need.

“Seniors are living longer, and they’re outliving their incomes,” said JFCS’s Faffer. “And, unlike younger people, who we can help find a job, find more affordable housing, with our seniors, that just can’t happen.”

Full Article & Source:
Asking for help at 80 — America’s new faces of hunger

Fox Guards the Chicken Coop

Clark County commissioners acted with urgency this week implementing the guardian compliance hotline. All persons damaged by Clark County’s lack of oversight of guardianship cases can report their damages to 702-671-4614.

However, the alternative option is recommended in order to provide evidence for future guardianship hearings. That is, email your complaint to guardianshipcompliance @clarkcountycourts.us. Emailing provides evidence of your complaint to Clark County courts not afforded by calling in a complaint.

The emailed and phoned-in complaints go to the attention of Clark County Courts Assistant Administrator Tim Andrews. Attorney Andrews’ position with the Clark County courts is significant and material to his oversight of any cases, including guardianship, due to his employment history.

Prior to becoming Assistant Court Administrator, attorney Andrews worked as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Nevada Office of the Attorney General. In this capacity, attorney Andrews was housed in Las Vegas, handling litigation in Clark County courts. Attorney Andrews experienced firsthand knowledge of the problems occurring in Clark County courts.

One such problem occurring in the Clark County courts was with staff attorney Jillian Prieto. Attorney Prieto sat on a subcommittee regarding handling of child abuse evidence. In June 2010, as a member of the subcommittee, Attorney Prieto heard public testimony of Clark County courts destroying child abuse evidence. By 2011, LVMPD (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department) investigated attorney Prieto regarding the illegal destruction of evidence. In LVMPD’s report, attorney Prieto confesses she knows Clark County courts destroy child abuse evidence.

Assistant Court Administrator Andrews was responsible for attorney Prieto’s activities. Attorney Andrews’ boss, Court Administrator Steve Grierson, refuses to disclose Clark County courts’ criminal activity because he is implicated in the activity. Administrator Grierson inserted into child abuse case files, documents stating the children’s abuse evidence is “illegible” rather than stating the evidence has been destroyed.

Regardless of his position with Clark County or State of Nevada, attorney Andrews is held to the standard of all licensed attorneys in Nevada as described in NRS 11. NRS11.207Malpractice actions against attorneys and veterinarians.

2. This time limitation is tolled for any period during which the attorney or veterinarian conceals any act, error or omission upon which the action is founded and which is known or through the use of reasonable diligence should have been known to the attorney or veterinarian.

Attorney Andrews is accountable for disclosing criminal activity of which he “knows or should have known” in his employment. However, attorney Andrews shows a history of refusing to disclose criminal activity. Six months into his job as Assistant Court Administrator, attorney Andrews was called to the witness stand to testify about the courts’ criminal activity. Attorney Andrews refused testimony even though taking an oath to tell the whole truth.

By 2013, State of Nevada’s Attorney General memorialized on public record the Office’s knowledge of Clark County courts’ criminal activity. This knowledge “should have been known” to Deputy Attorney General Andrews housed in Clark County as a state of Nevada litigator.

History may repeat itself where attorney Andrews is concerned regarding guardianship cases. As both a staff attorney general and assistant court administrator, attorney Andrews contributes to the guardianship problems by not disclosing the negligence in their oversight.

Guardianship cases are overseen by Clark County court employee Jon Norheim. Mr. Norheim is housed at the Family Division of the Clark County District Courts located at Bonanza and Pecos in Las Vegas. This court is overseen by attorney Andrews. Mr. Norheim has been documented a dozen times to have cancelled child abuse case proceedings.

Recently, Clark County Commissioners Chair Steve Sisolak and Vice Chair Larry Brown have called for the investigation of Jon Norheim in guardianship cases. Both commissioners have voiced the need for prosecution of Jon Norheim if warranted.

If attorney Andrews continues in his nondisclosure of criminal activity, the damaged parties have recourse. The parties have already submitted numerous reports to the FBI Las Vegas field office, which has jurisdiction and authority over Tim Andrews. FBI agent Joseph Dickey has memorialized his knowledge of Clark County courts’ criminal activity.

Full Article & Source:
Fox Guards the Chicken Coop

Ami Forte Affair: Morgan Stanley Broker Accused Of Bilking Elderly Millionaire, Could Cost Bank $400 Million Penalty

Ami Forte allegedly carried on a 12-year affair with the Home Shopping Network’s co-founder, and now the infidelity could end up costing Morgan Stanley $400 million.

The broker is alleged to have carried on an affair with Roy Speer, the now-deceased co-founder of the Home Shopping Network. Speer’s widow claims that Forte and another investor fleeced the family, conducted more than 12,000 unauthorized trades and stealing $40 million in fees — all while Roy Speer was so incapacitated that he was wheelchair bound and in diapers.

“During the last several years of his life, Roy Speer suffered from significant diminished mental capacity, as well as from substantial physical infirmities,” said a representative from Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns LLP, lawyers for widow Lynnda Speer. “He was wheelchair bound and diapered, could not drive, and was attended to daily by a full-time caregiver.”

The bank is now facing a giant fine due to Ami Forte’s alleged affair. Details have come out through a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority hearing, via Yahoo! Finance.

“A source present at the FINRA hearing says Morgan Stanley could be on the hook for a $400 million loss: $100 million in compensatory damages, and an additional $300 million in punitive damages.

“According to an earlier report, Morgan Stanley believed it might be on the hook for a lot less — only $170 million.

“The reason the fine may end being bigger than expected is because of a state statue in Florida, the Florida Elder Exploitation Law.”

Ami Forte has quite a stature in the banking world. She managed more than $2 billion in assets, and was twice named the top woman financial adviser by Barron’s.

There is some question as to whether Forte’s alleged affair broke the bank’s own rules on relationships. As the New York Post points out, the policy did not explicitly ban romantic relationships.

“Avoid any investment, activity or relationship that could, or could appear to, impair your judgment or interfere with your responsibilities on behalf of Morgan Stanley, our clients and our shareholders,” states the company’s policy.

The bank also appears ready to fight the allegations.

“We believe the claims are without merit and we are contesting them vigorously through the legal process,” a Morgan Stanley representative said in a statement.

There are some other twists as well. Sources say that Speer’s widow knew about the alleged affair, as did many others, but she had no desire to end the marriage.

“It was well known in the community that they were having an affair,” a source claimed.

Attempts by the New York Post to reach Ami Forte about the alleged affair were not successful.

Full Article & Source:
Ami Forte Affair: Morgan Stanley Broker Accused Of Bilking Elderly Millionaire, Could Cost Bank $400 Million Penalty

Body of man, 92, found decomposed at home in Indiana

PORTAGE, Ind. — A 92-year-old man was found dead and decomposing at his home in Portage, Ind.

The Porter County coroner says Bob Sufana had been dead for two weeks when his body was discovered, seated in a chair.

It appears he died of natural causes.

Emergency officials say there was a strong odor for several feet around the home.

Bob Sufana had shared the home with his grandson and his grandson`s wife.

The coroner says the grandson last checked on Sufana on Monday but didn’t get a response, and the last time he spoke with him was eight days before Sufana was found.

The couple’s 7-year-old son had already been removed from the home by Child Protective Services.

Full Article & Source:
Body of man, 92, found decomposed at home in Indiana

Couple liberated from guardianship system

By Kean Bauman. CREATED May 20, 2015
 
Strong words today from a court comissioner who's been accused of rubber-stamping wrongdoing. Now, it seems the tide is turning in favor of local families. Contact 13 was in the courtroom this morning as one family's loved ones were liberated from Clark County's controversial guardianship system.

"That is an enormous problem! That is no technical problem,That is a big, enormous, major problem!"   That's Guardianship Commissioner Jon Norheim just before he took private, for-profit guardian April Parks off the case of Rudy and Rennie North.

"She will not have any authority from this court to act on behalf of your mom and dad," Norheim said.

Guardianship was given instead to daughter, Julie Belshe, who's been fighting to get her parents out of the system for nearly two years.

"What happened today was completely amazing," said Julie. "More than thrilled with this decision to let me actually take over and be part of my parents life again."

Nearly two years ago Rudy and Rennie were enjoying a quiet, loving, life together but all that changed with a knock on the door.

"I felt like I was being arrested. Was kidnapped out of my house," Rennie said.

"They have locked me up, thrown away the key and it's terrible," Rudy said.

Since the fall of 2013, the court has allowed Parks to control every aspect of Rudy and Rennie's lives--where they would live, how their money was spent, what items they could keep--and sometimes, who they could see.

"They took my parents," said Julie. "I didn't know who. I didn't know what."

When Contact 13 looked at the guardianship case, we found mistakes, over-charging and double-billing by Parks. Our findings played a key role in Wednesday morning's hearing.

"She's costing me $300 an hour to sit here and degrade me and my family," Rudy said. "I will not stand for it and I will not pay for it."

Parks' attorney did the talking for her, claiming the process to remove Parks is being rushed, "...based on innuendo, based on hearsay, based on salacious representations made on the media about Ms. Parks," said Aileen Cohen. "This matter is turning into a witch hunt."

But Commissioner Jon Norheim was having none of it. "The idea that she's been compliant? Not even close."

Norheim said Parks failed to protect the Norths and, especially, their estate.

"She's supposed to block the money. She's supposed to come to court for release," said Norheim.

"That didn't happen. It got spent. Things got sold. None of that was supposed to happen!"

Parks' attorney declined to comment after the hearing and Parks herself didn't return our calls.
Rudy says the journey down a rough road is one he can navigate now.

"I believe it's the start, and as if somebody came and said to me, 'Rudy, you just made the road smaller.' It's no longer as long as it was."

Commissioner Norheim called this a real problem case and said it's been referred to the Court Compliance Officer for investigation.

If you have a problem with the system, let us know by sending an email to 13INVESTIGATES@KTNV.COM

Full Article & Source:
Couple liberated from guardianship system

Clark County judges take guardianship oversight away from embattled judge, hearing master

By COLTON LOCHHEAD
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The judge and hearing master who presided over the troubled Clark County guardianship court will no longer hear those cases, the court announced Thursday.

For over a decade, guardianship cases were heard by Commissioner Jon Norheim. District Court Judge Charles Hoskin handled any appeals or disputes between parties. Those cases will be transferred to Judge Dianne Steel, District Court’s longest-serving judge, effective June 1, according to a statement released Thursday.

The changes at the court coincided with the filing of a petition with the Nevada Supreme Court Thursday to create a commission to review the process and examine the creation of guardianships, monitoring of cases, court documentation and judicial training.

Long-running problems with the system that handles about 8,500 adult guardianship cases each year were exposed in a series of Review-Journal articles published in April. Cases highlighted by the newspaper showed a lack of oversight by the courts, such as failing to require guardians to file annual accounts of a ward’s finances even though it is required by state law.

Swift changes have come since.

After hearing concerns raised by the newspaper and from dozens of people who felt wronged by the system, County Commissioners began discussing the problems last month.

Chief Judge David Barker has asked the commissioners to approve funding for two court investigators and two compliance officers that he hopes will increase the level of monitoring of guardianship cases and protect wards, who are people under guardianship. Barker also help set up a hotline for people to lodge guardianship complaints by calling 702-671-4614 or sending an email to guardianshipcompliance@clarkcountycourts.us.

Clark County commissioners quickly moved to establish a Blue Ribbon Panel to analyze and recommend fixes to the court. But when Chief Justice James Hardesty of the Nevada Supreme Court expressed interest in creating a larger, state-wide panel, the commissioners gladly obliged.

Hardesty, along with Barker and Washoe County Chief Judge David Hardy, filed the motion to create the commission Thursday afternoon.

“There are several critical problems facing Nevada’s courts as a result of an increase in the number of elderly and vulnerable persons who require guardianships or conservatorships,” said Hardesty said. “We recognize the need to address these problems statewide and identify the resources necessary to assist the court system to meet Nevada’s needs.”

Handling guardianship cases will not exactly be foreign to Steel, who has been a judge since 1997. She heard minor guardianship cases from 2007 to 2011.

“I am committed to the court’s goal to protect those impacted by intellectual disabilities and diseases associated with aging,” Steel said in the release. “Through experience, I know how difficult these cases are for families, and I will work hard to ensure that the court is handling these cases in a manner in accordance with the laws established to protect families dealing with guardianship.”

The court did not specify any exact reasons for the change, saying only that the change comes after talks with “state and nationally respected judicial experts.” The court did not say what Norheim would be reassigned to after the changes become official next month.

Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Find him on Twitter: @ColtonLochhead.

Full Article & Source:
Clark County judges take guardianship oversight away from embattled judge, hearing master

Major overhaul in guardianship court

By Kean Bauman. CREATED May 21, 2015

Who is guarding the guardians? That's about to change as major upheaval sweeps through Clark County's controversial guardianship system.

Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears' reports are getting action from the top.

“What you did frankly was help push this to the front burner,” said District Court Chief Judge David Barker.

Contact 13's Investigations into Clark County guardianships sounded the alarm that something needed to be done to overhaul the system.

“Ghandi once said the measure of a society is how it treats the vulnerable,” Julie Belshe told Clark County Commissioners in April. “You are failing the elderly in Clark County!”

Guardianships are legal proceedings where people are deemed unable to care for themselves. They lose their liberty and the court gives control over their life, their money and their assets to another person. It's a process that should have strict safeguards and oversight. But that's not the way it's been going in Clark County.

“Is the system broken? From that perspective, no.” says Judge Baker. “Can we do things better? Yes.”

There are 892 open adult guardianship cases in Clark County with an average of 15 new filings per month. And until today, one man--Hearing Master Jon Norheim--presided over every single case.

This administrative order filed today takes all guardianship cases away from Norheim transferring them to experienced Family Court Judge Dianne Steel. The reassignment is just the first step in a fast-moving process aimed at improving the system.

Judge Barker: “You helped us in that process by bringing this to the attention of those who are interested at the commissioners so you helped me in that and I thank you for it.”

Darcy: “Well let's shake on that ok?”

Barker: “And we're going to move forward. We're going to make this better.”

Reaction is already pouring in from families affected by the guardianship system.

Rana Goodman writes:

"There is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel for seniors and their families that have been caught in this terrible nightmare. We hope that this is just the beginning of reversing the guardianship scandal that has plagued our senior community."

And this from Julie Belshe, whose parents have been under guardianship for almost two years:

“After losing faith in our Family Court legal system for the last two years, today is the best news ever. Our family is overjoyed and overwhelmed.

Becky Swartz battled for years to get her father out of a guardianship case in Clark County and back to California:

"I’m happy Jon Norheim will no longer be in control of guardianship cases any longer. It’s been a long, long battle to try to fix this family court problem and there is yet much more to do concerning the guardians themselves. But I am sad that this didn’t happen while my father’s guardianship case was going on, it could have saved my family and many, many other families much grief and expense.”

A petition was also filed today in the Nevada Supreme Court. It asks for a commission to be created to study Nevada guardianships and address critical problems.

They're asking for a report and recommendations by the end of this year.

Full Article & Source:
Major overhaul in guardianship court

Steve Miller: Breaking News From Nevada: Changes Within Clark County Probate Court!

Incompetent "Guardianship Commissioner" Jon Norheim, Along With "Juiced" Judges Charles Hoskin And Art Ritchie Dumped From Guardianship Court! To be replaced by longest serving District Court Judge Dianne Steel!

PRESS RELEASE
from Eighth Judicial District Court: The Eighth Judicial District Court Issued an Administrative Order today, to transfer the adult guardianship caseload to the longest-serving District Court Judge Dianne Steel, in department G of the Family Division.

The Order coincides with a Petition issued today, by Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice James Hardesty, with the concurrence of Eighth District Chief Judge David Baker and Second District Chief Judge David Hardy, to consider the establishment of a commission to study the creation and administration of guardianships in Nevada courts.

The proposed Guardianship Commission will examine policies and procedures currently used and provide recommendations, based on national best-practices, on how they can be improved.

 “I am committed to the court’s goal to protect those impacted by intellectual disabilities and diseases associated with aging.“ said Judge Steel. “Through experience, I know how difficult these cases are for families, and I will work hard to ensure that the court is handling these cases in a manner in accordance with the laws established to protect families dealing with guardianship.”

 Judge Steel’s career history includes more than 18 years on the bench, handling a variety of case types including guardianship. She has notable service on numerous committees and professional organizations and a long list of professional accomplishments including: a Juvenile Dependency Model Court, work on the One Family - One Judge initiative, the Donna's House Visitation Exchange Program, the Judicial Studies Program, the Family Self-Help Center Project, the Coroner Visitation Program, the Youth Eagle Leadership Project, the Adults in Juvenile Delinquency Court handbook, the restructure of NRS Chapter 62 on Juvenile Delinquency and the promotion of the Jury Services-CASA Recruitment Program.

"Judge Steel’s depth of experience and knowledge of the guardianship process will be a tremendous asset as we build citizen trust and confidence in the guardianship process.” said Judge Barker. “We are moving quickly, in coordination with the Nevada Supreme Court, to take strategic action within fiscal realities, to get guardianship cases in line with national best-practices.”

The court examined the assignment of the guardianship caseload using a hearing master/judge model and communicated with state and nationally respected judicial experts and determined that such cases should be assigned to a single District Court judge. Department G’s existing caseload will be reassigned to and equitably distributed among all the remaining judicial departments that are assigned civil domestic cases in the Family Division.

The transfers and assignments will take effect on June 1, 2015.

 The Eighth Judicial District Court is taking action to implement best practices for guardianship cases as established by the National Association for Court Management. A guardianship hotline is available to take concerns and questions tel:702-671-4614 and an email link is also available at "mailto:guardianshipcompliance@clarkcountycourts.us" for those who have concerns.

Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court is the busiest court in the state. Fifty-two judges preside over nearly 100,000 criminal, civil and family cases that are filed each year in District Court. The Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court judges and staff continuously work to develop new ideas, maximize efficiencies and improve access to justice.

BACKGROUND ON DAMAGE DONE BY NORHEIM: http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/ShaferFinancialRecords2.html

Prior to being appointed Hearing Master by Family Court Judge Charles Hoskin, Jon Norheim was a mob attorney.

 In a photo (left) taken by the late Buffalo Jim Barrier, Norheim is shown with his clients (right), and Ralph Rizzolo (left). At the time of the photo, Norheim was being paid to harass Barrier in a failed attempt to make him move his auto repair shop so Rizzolo could expand his topless bar the Crazy Horse Too.

It is not presently known whether Norheim will return to his previous profession.

~Steve Miller