WEAAD
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) Is June 15!Join people around the world in celebrating World Elder Abuse Awareness Day tomorrow, June 15!The #WEAAD615 social media challenge encourages people around the world to engage their friends, family, and colleagues by sharing facts about elder abuse and how to prevent it. This year, federal agencies will take on this challenge by sharing 6 facts about elder abuse, 1 action the agency will take, and 5 resources or tips you can use to promote [- more...]
Slam the Gavel podcast with Dr. Sam Sugar #4
An hour long discussion of the larger picture of the harm done to every American when they can no longer have trust in our judicial system. Click the link below. Your comments always welcome. [- more...]
Money for the elderly??
SubjectFlorida Touts Funding for Elderly While it Continues to Abuse ThemEntered3 June 2022 16:12:26From fieldHTML contentThe State of Florida in the press release reproduced below, crows about all the money it is spending in its new budget to help the elderly. $24 million is being allocated for services to the elderly. Some simple math would indicate that the state is allocating $4 dollars for every one of the 6 million seniors in the state. Part of that money, a paltry $500,000, is intended [- more...]
Spectrum Institute Program on Excessive Probate Fees
Florida State Guardianship Association Leadership– Rot at the top?
The majority of FSGA leadership have been deeply involved in multiple egregious guardianships for years. Their names are well known to anyone who has followed the guardianship crisis in Florida. This follows the trend set by the Pinellas County Guardianship Association whose officers have included the likes of Traci Hudson and other well known predators. A high level source and former FSGA Board member intimately familiar with the FSGA has said “I … would not rejoin the board again [- more...]
Slam the Gavel Podcast with Dr. Sam Sugar 1/3
The first of my three podcasts [- more...]
AAAPG Memorial Book
Memorial Book for wardsClick this LINK to view our Memorial book for victims of guardianship abuse, produced by dozens of contributors. To add your contribution go to https://www.newlywords.com/memorials-for-abused-wards [- more...]
Slam the Gavel Podcast 3/3–The Equity Court Meatgrinder
Listen as Dr. Sam Sugar describes issues in the Family, Divorce and Probate courts. Your comments welcome. [- more...]
Protecting your advance directives
Given that the starting point for much of the professional guardianship abuse that occurs comes from the court’s predilection to nullify properly prepared advance directives of the proposed ward, it is appropriate to begin a dialogue about how to better protect those directives from being attacked and cast aside in order to enable the insertion of a favored professional guardian over the pre need selection. NOTE: nothing herein is or should be construed as legal advice. Dr. Sam Sugar is [- more...]
Slam the Gavel Podcast #2 of 3
Listen as Dr. Sam Sugar discusses aspects of guardianship abuse. [- more...]
The Guardianship Bond Scam Exposed
The issue of how dangerous professional guardianship can be for unsuspecting families, especially those who suffer from family dysfunction, has been well documented in local, regional and even national publications including on websites like www.aaapg.net and in my book “Guardianships And The Elderly The Perfect Crime”. One particular aspect of the system is especially galling to victims of guardianship abuse. Florida statute 744 indicates that judges in probate guardianship cases [- more...]
White paper: The Duplicity of Bar Associations
March 2 , 2022 In light of the recent subversive and cowardly actions of the Florida Bar in essentially decapitating the Florida Clerks’ bill to create a public guardianship database with a last second amendment to make the information available only to court insiders to protect their villainous racket, this paper is presented for your review. If only the victims in guardianship had a tiny fraction of the due process that judges and lawyers enjoy, what a different world it would be. As [- more...]
What Will it take?
Parts 1-6 What will it take ? After studying the guardianship abuse racket for nearly a decade, I am always amazed to see how difficult it is for people to understand this unwarranted government intrusion into the private life of its citizens. They still cling to the notion that courts and judges exist to uphold the laws and protect the innocent. That naïve and ossified belief is belied by the stories so many of us shared on these pages and others. At some point we must all [- more...]
Attacking a Predator’sBond
A very interesting idea to disqualify predtor guardians It Only Takes 10 [- more...]
Florida guardianship task force final report
If there were any lingering doubt about how badly Florida’s guardianship system is broken, this official report should erase it. The time for drastic change is long past. The court insiders must be held responsible for the havoc they wreak in probate courts. [- more...]
What Buzzfeed found
Dr. Sugar and Doug Franks on the Ed Tyll Show 12-20-2021
Discussing our coalition’s efforts to change the laws that produce such [- more...]
Analyzing Florida’s Apex Predator
Resources from ABA and NCLER on resisting a guardianship December, 2021
Here are additional NCLER resources that you may find helpful: Webinar: Using Supported Decision-Making to Avoid Guardianship: Screening with the PRACTICAL Tool and BeyondWebinar: Representing a Client in a Defense of Guardianship CaseWebinar: Overview of Guardianship and Alternatives to GuardianshipWebinar: Guardianship Termination and Restoration of RightsChapter Summary: Using Supported Decision-Making to Avoid Guardianship: Screening with the PRACTICAL Tool and [- more...]
Silent Torture Video from our Colleague Teresa Kennedy
National Organization for Women seminar on guardianships November 7, 2021 featuring Dr. Sam Sugar and other advocates
The Montanti guardianship fiasco–Florida
New Mexico fails (again) at Guardianship reform
Rio Hamilton’s mother’s case proves that despite a lot of talk about improving that State’s guardianship system, the abuses just keep on coming! Like in every other state. [- more...]
Testimony of human Trafficking victim
Watch as Liz Weinstein describes the nightmare she is living because of infamous Equity court [- more...]
Testimony from a perfectly capacitated “ward”
Ms. Montanti describes her incarceration and torture at the hands of the guardianship racket in [- more...]
Guardianship Improvement Task force–my comments
Let’s hope the Legislature in FL takes this seriously and that the Bar does not stand in the way of progress. See my comments in the article below. [- more...]
USA Today editorial demanding abolition of guardianship
This our offical position at AAAPG and at the ACLU as well. The time has come to re-imagine how we treat our elderly and vulnerable. [- more...]
Some hope with new legislation from FL Legislators
Citing Britney Spears Case, Florida Delegation on Capitol Hill Continues to Focus on Guardianship [- more...]
Here’s the link to the webinar DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative presented on September 30 focusing on guardianship.
Dr. Sam Sugar Healthday Interview
Follow this link [- more...]
Video from Attorney Leslie Ferderigos on the racket
Interview of Dr. Sam Sugar on the Frankie Boyer Show
Dr. Sugar discusses his book “Guardianships and the Elderly–The Perfect Crime” and explains the ongoing crisis with Guardianships and Conservatorships in America Interview begins at 11 minute mark. Available Oct 11, [- more...]
CBS12 report on guardian abuse
Buzzfeed Series-Part 2
Extensive writing about two horrible cases including Doug Keegan’s. AAAPG sincerely thanks Katie Baker and Heidi Blake for their breathtaking, incredible reporting and we ask members of AAAPG to contact Bob Casey, Chair of the Special Senate Committee on Aging https://www.casey.senate.gov/contact/share and Senator Richard Blumenthal, https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/contact who is on that committee too and also on the Senate Judiciary Committee where he maintains oversight of the [- more...]
The long awaited Buzzfeed expose of the American Guardianship system
Well worth your time. Shocking, but all so true. Proud to have been a major source for this [- more...]
9/11– 20 years later
On the 20th Anniversary of 9/11As we mark the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, I cannot help but be reminded of the tragic similarities between what happened to our country since that date and what happens to innocent vulnerable wards on a daily basis in probate courts across America. The failed War on Terror. The war on Wards and Families.There are painful haunting similarities in the probate sphere to post 911 America—when the opaque, powerful surveillance state government [- more...]
Nursing Home Meds Abused
https://t.co/t0ghbqmiRY And who do you think resides in those nursing [- more...]
Must See Video
Our colleague, Adam Walser accepts his American Legion award for his years of investigative journalism into the guardianship racket.. [- more...]
The American Bar Association and Guardianship
The ABA Zoom meeting on Guardianship issues on August 23, 2021 was very interesting. But my takeaway was that the entire intrusive paternalistic, ageist system of how we deal with the vulnerable in America is based on a concept that cannot stand in our constitutional democracy. The Constitution and its amendments were created to defend and protect the individual from government as well as the courts. In particular the 14th amendment (among others) is routinely violated in guardianships around [- more...]
About Medical Records in Probate
Danger Lurks in your medical records. One of the linchpins of the guardianship machine resides at the intersection between medicine and law. It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of accurate, clear and concise medical records that may be presented to the court for consideration of removal of an individual’s rights. Even the entry of a single word into the record particularly in the diagnosis section, like dementia or Alzheimer’s or even depression can be the reason to [- more...]
Making a legally valid complaint about a guardian in Florida
FILING A LEGALLY SUFFICIENT COMPLAINT AGAINST A GUARDIAN In order to create and successfully submit a legally sufficient complaint which is likely to be accepted as valid against a guardian to OPPG or any other investigative agency, you must construct the complaint to conform to a specific style. General Instructions on how and where to file complaints is found at: https://elderaffairs.org/programs-services/office-of-public-professional-guardians-oppg/file-a-complaint/ Be very concise and [- more...]
The Coming Delta Holocaust
GET OUR PEOPLE OUT!Studies show that about 8% of people who live in US long-term-care facilities had died of COVID-19 – nearly 1 in 12. However, in nursing facilities alone, the death toll jumped to nearly 1 in 10. With vaccinations, COVID deaths plummeted. But with Delta the game has changed, and the next pandemic may already be here. The CDC reports the Delta variant is so contagious that it acts almost like a different novel virus, leaping to victims more swiftly than [- more...]
The Florida Task Force on Guardianship Improvement–Initial Observations
https://guardianshipimprovementtaskforce.com/#meetings We should be grateful to this group of very smart and experienced players in the guardianship arena for the serious time and effort so far to figure out a legislative fix for the badly broken Florida system The information being presented and discussed emphasizes the incredible complexity of the system as currently constructed as well as the pitfalls and blatant coflicts of interest so common in it. While it is a stretch to think that any [- more...]
Some thoughts
The ACLU position on guardianship is that it must be abolished. They haven’t said how just yet.The only reason the world got to hear about Britney Spears is because someone broke the law and released a secretly recorded version of her remarks to judge Penny. Had that not happened, the world would not be up in arms about #Free Britney.Spears’ lawyer never once told her she could petition to have the guardianship terminated, but he billed her huge amounts of money every month.Despite [- more...]
This is what it will take
But none of these predators practice in a vacuum. They live in our communities, they may attend religious services, they may sit on the boards of community institutions including schools, they go to health clubs and golf courses, and in order to do all these things they must maintain a controlled positive profile. They do not want their pictures in the paper in any negative way. [- more...]
Florida’s Reality Check
FLORIDA‘S REALITY CHECK FOLLOWING NATIONAL ELDER LAW MONTH While May is designated as National Elder Law Month and National Older Americans Month and more than five million seniors call Florida home, millions of Florida’s elders and their impacted family members across the years have witnessed or suffered fates including premature and agonizing deaths and lives worse than death trapped inside of professional guardianships, sometimes making headline news but most [- more...]
N.C. Victim Video 18 and disappeared
https://youtu.be/upVZpsddCoE Can you help this mom whose autistic child was disappeared by North Carolina DSS at age 18 ? [- more...]
It is happening
Powerful voices in D.C. are now asking the right questions, indicating they have become woke to the American guardianship fiasco. Let’s hope the answers they get are honest and swiftly forthcoming. [- more...]
More criminal charges against Traci Samuel Hudson
Today in the Pinellas County court room of Judge St. John, former president of the Pinellas guardianship Association, Traci Samuels Hudson attended what was to be a pretrial hearing. But after many months of investigation the states attorney brought several additional criminal charges to light. Referencing cases that have been under investigation for over a year, Hudson was charged among other things with the disappearance of between seven and 10 firearms from the home of one of her unfortunate [- more...]
Michelle Malkin: Blowing the Lid Off Probate Predators
There is a silent epidemic in this country claiming the lives and property of untold numbers of innocent elderly and disabled Americans. It has nothing to do with exotic viruses. In fact, it's a homegrown phenomenon involving corrupt elected officials, judges, and lawyers. [- more...]
Final Report from the May 2021 National Guardianship Summit
For everyone interested, please review the following reccomendations. Feel free to submit your reactions and comments. [- more...]
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day–Not one word about abusive guardianships
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/14/a-proclamation-on-world-elder-abuse-awareness-day-2021/ A Proclamation on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, 2021 JUNE 14, 2021•PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS Older Americans make invaluable contributions to our families, our communities, and our Nation every day. But for far too many, the sacred promise of aging with dignity in America is broken by unconscionable incidents of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. On World [- more...]
Florida’s Failed Guardianship system
An article in AARP’s journal makes the case for us! [- more...]
Commentary from Kimberly Guilfoyle
Guardianship is often exploited by unscrupulous characters who go to great lengths to take advantage of their wards. [- more...]
From the Orlando Sentinel
Coach Lou Holtz chimes in against guardianship abuse
In an op ed in the Saturday May 8, 2021 Miami Herald [- more...]
Abusive guardian in Palm Beach, FL pleads guilty to 15 counts/TV Interview with Joan Stanton and Dr. Sam Sugar
Doug Keegan has been freed from Guardianship!
After 7 long years of emotional and financial abuse, Doug Keegan has, with the help of Super Advocate Hillary Hogue and Attorney Leslie Ann Ferderigos, been adjudicated fully capacitated! Congrats to Doug who can now fully engage in the battle to free [- more...]
Essential bias and abuse of process in the courts–Big Brother is Biased
Guardianship creation is the big business of Probate Courts that wield the power to destroy anyone they target, like some kind of Orwellian Big Brother. These courts hover around us ready to pounce on any unsuspecting family unlucky enough or stupid enough to be involved in their perfidy. The administrative law officers running these Star Chambers are creating havoc and misery and even death of their vulnerable wards so often because that is what they are accustomed to doing, by habit, by [- more...]
2021 Guardianship Symposium Videos and Follow-up Zoom Discussion
Here are the links to the both sessions of the symposium SESSION 1 Sunday 4-11-2021https://youtu.be/NAk9qlNCH5w SESSION 2 PART 1 Monday 4-12-2021https://youtu.be/gHn7FR57y38 SESSION 2 PART 2 Monday 4-12-2021 (end)https://youtu.be/PjDjxtiMHKg Join us on Thursday Sam Sugar is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Symposium Followup meetingTime: Apr 15, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/3124630488?pwd=Vll0NFFjd3NVcUpJaURHNGtUaUEzdz09 [- more...]
A message from the #FreeBritney movement for AAAPG members
Learn how this movement enlisted Social Media to advance their cause to free Britney Spears from her [- more...]
2021 AAAPG Guardianship Symposium
It is finally here! Here is everything you need to participate.You are invited to a Zoom webinar SESSION 1When: Apr 11, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)Topic: 2021 AAAPG Guardianship Symposium Session 1Please click the link below to join the webinar:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85613507816?pwd=bDJCVGgvSElNTmVRRzlvWlBWMUVoUT09Passcode: 767748You are invited to a Zoom webinar SESSION 2When: Apr 12, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)Topic: 2021 AAAPG Guardianship Symposium Session [- more...]
AAAPG Memorial Tribute Project
March 8, 2021 Dear AAAPG members and advocates, As you may know, AAAPG will present our 2021 Guardianship Symposium in 2 sessions, Sunday April 11 starting at 6:00PM EDST and again on Monday April 12, 2021 at 9AM EDST. These 2 online sessions can be reserved at $15.00 per session at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-guardianship-symposium-tickets-141592020545 We will bring together an impressive panel of national experts to share information, ideas, analysis, trends and topics about the [- more...]
AAAPG 2021 Virtual Guardianship Symposium April 11-12, Tickets Available now
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-guardianship-symposium-tickets-141592020545 We are very pleased to announce that the 2021 AAAPG guardianship symposium will take place in two sessions on April 11 and 12th. The conference will be virtual and open to the public.The first session begins at 6 PM Eastern daylight savings time on April 11 and features a variety of experts who will discuss their experiences within the probate system and carefully delineate the difficulties experienced in that system. [- more...]
An interesting review of “I care a Lot”
This movie has caused quite a stir. Here is an interesting take on it. Review: ‘I Care a Lot’ – The Respectable Face of Mobster [- more...]
REPORT: Shocking malfeasance from Orange County Clerks of Court
We DEMAND that Governor Ron DeSantis immediately assemble an investigative Commission on Florida Guardianship which includes families and victims who have experienced the abuses that emanate from this fatally broken system report to the Governor within one year with recommendations and legislation to fix this scandalous crisis and finall protect the citizens of Florida. [- more...]
Florida’s Guardianship System: No safeguards
Perhaps if they are unable to understand the system they oversee, they should just watch the first half of the number one movie in America, I Care a Lot, where it is described in agonizing detail. I would supply the popcorn. [- more...]
Government: Say one thing but do another
Under the best of circumstances, Governments at every level struggle to deliver the critically important goods and services that politicians promise especially during election years. The usual excuse for failures to perform revolve around purported funding shortfalls or other snafus but are all too often the result of promising what can never possibly be delivered, no matter how critical that work product, or delivery may be. A good example is the ongoing difficulty in distributing [- more...]
Intentions
One good place to start would be the 2021 Guardianship virtual Summit sponsored by multiple advocacy groups across the country and produced by Americans Against Abusive Probate Guardianship where a distinguished array of advocates, victim families, government officials, educators, and academics will present information to paint a realistic and honest picture of the guardianship industry as it exists today. Registration and tickets can be found at the link below.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-guardianship-summit-tickets-141592020545
[- more...]
Save the date April 11-12, 2021
2021 AAAPG Virtual National Guardianship Summit Details coming [- more...]
Poverty and guardianship risk
Poverty is a strong risk factor for imposition of guardianship. [- more...]
Leveraging HIPAA-the double-edged sword
Abusive guardians are notorious for using the canard that family members are a danger to the well-being of the ward. [- more...]
Excellent Article from the Intercept
For decades, adult guardianship has been a legally thorny issue, with independent watchdogs and journalists repeatedly finding that senior citizens are stripped of their rights and often financially exploited — with little government oversight. The cases often involve complex family drama and disagreements among siblings, but sometimes, as in Dirse’s case, it’s an outsider who gets involved, over the objections of the elderly person’s relatives. [- more...]
DOUBLETHINK AND DOUBLESPEAK AND RULES FOR RADICALS IN PROBATE
Doublethink is a process of indoctrination whereby the subject is expected to accept a clearly false statement as the truth, or to simultaneously accept two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct, often in contravention to one’s own memories or sense of reality. Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” “Power is not only what you have but what the enemy [- more...]
Guardianships, isolation, quarantine, and death
How would you feel if you were confined to a windowless cell and could only go out once or twice a day? [- more...]
What have we become?
The inhumanity of the guardianship racket is epic, rivaled only by the hubris and greed that drives it. [- more...]
The maelstrom of guardianship bureaucracy
We must spread the word that there is great danger lurking in every one of these so-called equity courts. We must strive to expose the evil that emanates from these chambers. [- more...]
Annual Fundraising Drive
Our annual fundraising ask [- more...]
A possibly helpful Florida legal injunction
Fl St 825.1035 may allow a concerned family member to demand the court freeze the assets of a vulnerable senior to prevent their asset from being plundered [- more...]
What have we become?
The refusal of our society to intercede in even the most egregious abuses perpetrated by the racket is a blatant “tell” about who and what we have become. [- more...]
An unusual victim video
Elder abuse doesn’t only take place via guardianship, but the tactics are incredibly [- more...]
Victim Video Julia P. Broward County FL
NPR’s “1A” hourlong episode of guardianship
What Britney Spears’ Case Tells Us About Conservatorship [- more...]
Confirmation bias
Victims of the guardianship racket must absorb a stunning series of vicious body blows in what passes for hearings or pleadings in probate court proceedings around the country. Losing a loved one to the racket is at the top of the list, but not far behind is the financial debacle that frequently bankrupts anyone who tries to stand in the way of a devastating professional guardianship. Among the broadsides that are so frequent and so bewildering– all created to guarantee that [- more...]
Jan Garwood’s Escape from Florida Guardianship Hell
Please share these with anyone who doubts our countless stories of abuse all around the country. Every now and then, someone gets out with their life–but only their life. I was so pleased to have a small part in securing her release. https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/florida-woman-escapes-guardianship-using-secret-phone-and-facebook-to-contact-media and HUMAN TRAFFICKING ELDER GUARDIANSHIP SURVIVOR STORIES JAN GARWOOD PART 1 HUMAN TRAFFICKING ELDER [- more...]
Our Lives
go to Youtube for this ode to the guardianship issue created by our colleague Tim [- more...]
FreeBritney Movement Calls for Conservatorship Reforms
Guest Editorial by Thomas F. Coleman, Esq.Daily Journal / Nov. 6, 2020According to Rolling Stone magazine, BritneySpearsis “one of the most successful artists of all time.”Millions of her fans would agree.Spears is rich. Super rich. She reported more than$59 million in assets at the end of 2018. However,since 2008 when she was involuntarily placed into aprobate conservatorship in California, she has notbeen able to control her own assets. A court placedcontrol of her finances with [- more...]
#Free Britney Protest
If you are comfortable attending in person, please consider joining #FreeBritney protesters outside Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on November 10 at 12:30pm. documentary crews and news media will be present, so it’s an excellent opportunity to share your story with the media!Here are scenes from past rallies: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDTsqL-F6Bt/?igshid=d6pv88k9ls9dReuters Archive Licensing PEACEFUL PROTESTMAKE & BRING YOUR SIGNS & BANNERS, if able. If not, some may be [- more...]
Decades have passed and the Abuse Continues
The guardianship abuse AAAPG has documented for a decade is not new. In 1987, The Associated Press (AP) reported in detail on the guardianship crisis in America in a series of several first hand investigations. The first two are available at https://apnews.com/article/1198f64bb05d9c1ec690035983c02f9f and https://apnews.com/article/8ea94c1c992fd97e7eea7fe72a924f73 The Senate Select Committee on Aging has been hearing complaints about guardianship for even longer. It’s website contains over [- more...]
The Injured Senior Podcast : Dr. Sam Sugar on The Risks, The Truth, and The Dangers of Guardianships.
An hour long informative review of the truth about guardianships. [- more...]
Bench and Ballot
Dangerous Radicals in the court and on the ballot Though it may seem like a stretch to bring discussions about elections into the more narrow discussion of abusive guardianship, there are striking similarities about how American justice and liberty are being attacked on multiple fronts in both arenas. To frame the discussion, let me state at the outset that the greatest abuse in abusive guardianships is the incredibly sad reality that guardianships are designed to remove one’s liberty and [- more...]
Family Court –Another Equity Hellhole and Reuters Report on “The Teflon Robe”
We have much in common with victims of Family court, or should I say Family destruction court. [- more...]
Critical Guardianship Theory
A New and Exciting Approach to End Probate Court Abuses Because of the long standing, multigenerational failure to remediate the abuses perpetuated in probate courts throughout the country, it is instructive to examine novel approaches to solving certain other social problems. Outside the box, Critical thinking may be required to solve problems of social import when traditional forms of redress are consistently ineffective. This paper seeks to promote and foster a reasonable construct with [- more...]
Florida Supreme Court Work-group Report from 2018
This work product is self explanatory. Please read. Comments are welcome Guardianship Workgroup Report_FINAL_2018_06_15 [- more...]