Friday, June 20, 2008

The Private Conservator

In 2001 a San Mateo County judge ruled my Mom could no longer take care of herself and forced her into a conservatorship to "manage" her multimillion dollar estate and make essential decisions about her care.

The private conservator sold Mom’s home, where she had lived for 45 years, for six million dollars (more money for them!) – and forced her into a nursing home even though she wanted to live with me and I wanted to take care of her.

The conservatorship was solely in the best financial interest of the attorneys and conservator who feasted off of Mom’s estate as they poisoned the court against me for my efforts to protect her from her predators.

Because I complained about their abuse of my Mom and questioned the level of care she was receiving at the nursing home where she was imprisoned, I was not permitted to see Mom unless I hired a social worker to "observe" my visit. I was denied all input regarding Mom’s care and medical decisions about her. They had stolen her away from her family and the life she had lived and was accustomed to because they wanted her money. All contact with her friends was also screened, leaving her feeling abandoned and alone and also angry she could not go home. What she wanted and needed was ignored. She did not feel safe in the nursing home and I constantly feared for her safety. Her final days were nothing less than miserable and frightening for her, and for me.

The attorneys and conservator rationalized their exorbitant fees (hundreds of thousands of dollars) proclaiming to be representing my Mom’s best interest against me – and the court rubber stamped their every request. They had done an excellent job of setting the stage for Mom’s financial clean out by maligning me and blaming me for their continued litigation.

No one is safe! ~ Wendy Ferrari

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This story is truly representative of the "dirty lawyer tricks" employed in UNLAWFUL guardianships.

This abuse of the people committed/permitted by government and its "justice" system MUST COME TO AN END!

Anonymous said...

Your story is similar to ours. Our is still ongoing with the estate in probate after 5 1/2 years.

This has to be exposed!

Anonymous said...

This Blog is so well done but what a horrendous amount of documentation of abuse of elders by the courts!

Somehow these abuses must be exposed and stopped!

Where is a happy ward? Please show me one. The term doesn't even make sense: "happy ward". In our case, when we begged for a long term care transfer from where our loved one was, the Ombudsman Program responded that the Court-Appointed Guardian was "happy with the care".

Happy Guardian makes sense, happy ward doesn't. Go figure!

Anonymous said...

We know those in the "loop" who profit from the guardianship racket are the only winners in this fraudulent scheme.

This is fraud, abuse of power and theft. All of the state statutes governing Guardianship, Conservatorship are very clear about the Guardian working in the best interest of the ward.

The ward loses all of their rights to speak for themselves, including their basic right to see their own family members.

Anonymous said...

This is another heartbreaking story -- and another life ruined as well as the family trying to protect her.

We must remember Helen Ferarri's face in our struggle as well as the other faces of the innocent people exploited by their court-appointed "protectors".