In recent months, stories and reports have surfaced about the horrific abuses rampant in the current probate court system.
January 2011 Media
Laurie Roberts of the Arizona Republic wrote following piece about pending legislation on January 19 titled: ”Bills May Lead To Needed Probate Reform.” A section is copied below.
People often ask me what we can do about the mess that is probate court. How, they ask, might Marie Long have managed to hang on to some of her life savings instead of watching an estate worth $1.3 million plummet to zero in just four years?
What steps can people take to avoid falling victim to a system in which fiduciaries and attorneys so often seem to wind up with a pile of cash, courtesy of the people they’re supposed to be protecting?
Finally, I have an answer.
A bill was introduced in the Arizona House on Tuesday that would make it easier for vulnerable people or their representatives to have some say in who is handling their money and their care.I know. It’s radical stuff. Right now, the deck is stacked in favor of court-appointed fiduciaries, and if you try to remove them, they use your money to fend you off.
December 23, 2010 – CBS News Report
In December, CBS news featured a powerful investigative story about Arizona woman, Marie Long, whose life-savings was stolen by Guardians.
Read the full CBS report: “Guardianship Agency Costs Elderly Woman Dearly“
An elderly Arizona woman who had a $1.3 million estate is now on Medicaid care at taxpayer expense after a guardian agency ran up the bills for her care and then dropped her when the money was gone.
Now 89, Marie Long lives on Medicaid. (CBS)
Watch the video.
Federal Government: GAO Report
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), former Chairman on the Committee of Aging, was leading the effort on Capitol Hill and was fighting for new laws on guardianship to protect the vulnerable.
And last September, the GAO released a comprehensive report citing rampant abuse.
October 2010
Check out the Arizona Republic article about Senator Kohl’s efforts and the GAO report findings:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/10/28/20101028probate-court-abuses-across-us.html
September 2010
A must-read! The Arizona Republic launched a special investigation called Probate Court: A Troubled System.
OVERVIEW: An investigation by The Arizona Republic has revealed that Maricopa County Probate Court is allowing the life’s savings of vulnerable adults to become engines of profit for attorneys, for-profit fiduciaries and care providers. Their fees can drain a large portion of the assets of people who have lost the ability to take care of themselves.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/probate/probate-index.php#ixzz1Bo5w8xYu
