From Texas from two years ago–things have only gotten worse!
Guardianship Report from [- more...]
Texas
AAAPG is amici in Texas Brief
Texas Amicus [- more...]
Treachery in Texas!!!
AAAPG Comments: Every citizen in Texas should be up in arms over Governor Greg Abbott’s treachery!! From the Texas Observer: Texas Governor Vetoes Guardianship Oversight Bill In one of his line-item vetoes announced Monday, Governor Greg Abbott effectively canceled a statewide program to inspect guardianship cases for signs of fraud or abuse against vulnerable Texans who are under court protection. Abbott achieved a $5 million cut from the $217 billion state budget by eliminating a [- more...]
News from Texas
https://www.texasobserver.org/guardianship-hearing-texas-senate/ David Slayton, Executive Director Texas Office of Court Administration is trying to expose the issue of fraudulent guardianships in Texas. This article highlights the Texas legislature’s current attempts to demand transparency and accountability to Texas law by the judiciary concerning adult guardianship rulings. Texas guardianship data is as suspect as Nevada when we started our efforts in late 2014. Slayton [- more...]
How the Courts Subvert Justice–Texas Style
This brief tells the story of how reporter Juliette Fairley and her family were denied justice in a Texas probate court Appellant’s Brief Fairley File Stamped May 6, 2016 You can track the progress of Juliette Fairley’s appeal by following the case docket for Texas’ 4th Court of Appeals, Case No.: 04-16-00096-CV Update: As of August 30 2016, the 4th Court of Appeals denied Appellant Juliette Fairley’s request for Oral Arguments, stating: …has determined that oral [- more...]
Texas NPR: Legal Guardianship’s Meant to Help the Elderly – But Some Texans Are Abusing the System
From Texas Standard: As the population of Texas grows, so changes the demographics. According to the most recent data from the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, the state’s population of those age 60 and older is expected to triple by 2050. Many of those people will require assistance to help manage their estates, with their legal and financial rights being handed to guardians. But while Texas’ rate of guardianship control increases – there are allegations [- more...]
Wall Street Journal: Abuse Plagues System of Legal Guardians for Adults
By ARIAN CAMPO-FLORES and ASHBY JONES Oct. 30, 2015 1:18 p.m. ET One day in March 2012, 71-year-old Linda McDowell received a knock at the door of her small Vancouver, Wash., home. Ms. McDowell needed court-appointed help, the visitor told her. It turned out that Ms. McDowell’s former housemate and companion had pushed for a court petition claiming Ms. McDowell was unable to take care of herself. The petition said Ms. McDowell had recently made an unsafe driving maneuver, had been disruptive [- more...]
Texas: Millionaire widow loses battle in guardianship struggle with sons
Note from AAAPG: We think this is a tragic example of how the relationships that develop over years between judges and attorneys who represent their clients in front of that judge, can create gross injustice for the Ward, especially in what should be non-adversarial, judicial administrative proceedings. The client — who typically before going into court has no idea that their attorney has drawn the animosity of the judge — finds out only after it’s too late, that they will [- more...]
Texas Guardianship–same story, different zip code: Families Go to Battle in Probate Court, Only to Leave Without Anything
July 28, 2015, Houston Press: Families Go to Battle in Probate Court, Only to Leave Without Anything In October 2007, Willie Jo Mills of Houston suffered a stroke that paralyzed the right side of her body. A widow with two daughters and a son, the 80-year-old woman was prescribed a variety of pain medications, but doctors couldn’t find the right cocktail. Six months later, Mills’s son Larry filed an application with the Harris County Probate Court to become his mom’s legal guardian. [- more...]
Texas: another Titus County (Mt Pleasant) resident disputes their guardianship order
From the Mt Pleasant, Texas Daily Tribune – serving Titus, Franklin and Camp counties A motion has been filed in Titus County to remove guardian in the case of Ann Walton James. Records show the motion to remove guardian was filed on behalf of James’ great-niece, Barbara Ann Reynolds. Last month, former Titus County Clerk Dianne Norris Owens spoke at length about that guardianship case at the county commission meeting. Owens’ public comments on June 22 mirror statements set out in the [- more...]