Willie Jo Mills

Texas: Federal judge sends suit against probate judge and guardian to state court

April 10, 2019 // 0 Comments

HOUSTON – U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal remanded plaintiff Sherry Johnston’s breach of fiduciary duty claim against court appointed guardian David Dexel to the 253rd Judicial District of Liberty County, all while letting Harris County Probate Judge Christine Butts off the hook. “Unlike the claim against Judge Butts, the claim against Dexel raises unsettled issues of Texas law,” wrote Judge Rosenthal on Mar. 14 in a 40-page ruling from the bench of the U.S. District Court [- more...]

Texas: Houston federal judge allows state judge to be sued in guardianship negligence case

May 16, 2018 // 0 Comments

By David Yates | May 16, 2018, 1:34pm HOUSTON – Southern District Chief Justice Lee H. Rosenthal recently issued a landmark ruling allowing a wrongful death lawsuit against a Houston probate judge to proceed in an adult guardianship claim. Sherry Johnston sued Harris County Probate Judge Christine Butts in 2016, alleging that her elderly mother Willie Jo Mills suffered broken bones and a rapid, preventable decline, which contributed to malnutrition and death when Mills was a ward of the [- more...]

Texas Guardianship–same story, different zip code: Families Go to Battle in Probate Court, Only to Leave Without Anything

July 29, 2015 // 0 Comments

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...]