Daniel Gross, an old man infamously abused at the hands of probate court before he died in 2007, might yet force far-reaching reform in a system that once robbed him of his freedom. Next week, the state Supreme Court will take up a key question from Gross’ federal civil rights lawsuit and consider whether the Keep Reading…
A sister’s long and bitter battle to see more of her severely disabled sibling suffered a devastating blow yesterday when a judge ruled that a local authority-selected nursing home provided the best possible care. The 63-year-old claimed she was being slowly cut off from her elder sister – who suffers from multiple sclerosis, related dementia Keep Reading…
Monday, Oct. 17, kicks off National Estate Planning Awareness Week. Our op-ed noting this public awareness opportunity will be released soon. Meanwhile, we thought it might also be of interest to call attention to a 2009 estate looting series which lays out general hazards lurking within today’s probate system. Estate looting 101: what is an Keep Reading…
Nineteen months after a judge ruled that Michelle Cohen should be allowed to handle her own affairs, the mentally ill woman is living out of her van. She is still searching for an attorney willing to help her sue the banks that handled her trust fund, once worth half a million dollars. She’s spent years Keep Reading…
Estate of Denial® provides news, analysis and commentary on abusive practices occurring in probate courts and via probate instruments (wills, trusts, guardianships, powers of attorney). We provide original perspective to educate the public regarding this growing threat to both individual freedoms and property rights.An estate lawyer accused of a “wrongful scheme” to steer money to himself from the estates of the late June M. Farrington and her surviving brother will pay back $410,000 as part of a settlement. Estate lawyer Stephen M. Newman also resigned as executor and trustee of all of the estates and trusts he set Keep Reading…
Shannon Price failed to prove that she and Gary Coleman had a common-law marriage after their 2009 divorce. Fourth District Judge James R. Taylor ruled Monday that while Price had lived in the former “Diff’rent Strokes” star’s home after their marriage ended, the relationship failed to meet the state’s standard for a common-law marriage. “There Keep Reading…
Police Detective Jason Takacs has two thick files filled with paperwork supporting charges that a local deli owner bilked three elderly siblings of more than $200,000. Takacs credits cooperation among police, People’s United Bank, the Fairfield Probate Court and a forensic accountant from the chief state’s attorney’s office with the Thursday arrest of Carmella Jamshidian, Keep Reading…
Here’s more big government “smoke and mirrors” from the state of Texas. In watching media postings across the country, it’s highly trendy to decry the need to protect the elderly and the vulnerable. It makes people feel good to think “someone” is out there with an eye on things. Problem comes in that those “someones” Keep Reading…
Two of Don Barden’s siblings have alleged “gross irregularities” in the handling of the late casino mogul’s estate, including a potentially phony trust agreement. “It quite simply appears to be a fraud,” Farmington Hills attorney Steven Cohen charged in court papers last month. He represents Helen Robinson and Douglas Barden, who are challenging the validity Keep Reading…
36 new police officers, historic tax hike on tap with Temple charter election (TX)
Ask the average Temple resident to name their city’s biggest challenges and crime isn’t likely to rank high on many lists. With that, a Nov. 8 ballot initiative seeking a city charter amendment mandating 2.5 police officers for every 1,000 Temple citizens is problematic on multiple fronts. The measure could force a historic tax increase Keep Reading…