Who can file an exploitation complaint, alleging financial abuse of a vulnerable adult? In Arizona, a court-appointed conservator can file with the courts. So can the personal representative of the victim’s estate. But what about family members who feel that their loved one has been victimized? Financial exploitation of vulnerable seniors is a huge, and…
MAY 2, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 17 When a litigant asks the court for particular relief, lawyers call the request a “prayer.” It isn’t always as spiritual or respectful as that sounds, but it does give us a chance to offer good generalized legal — and life — advice: be careful what you pray for.…
NOVEMBER 16, 2015 VOLUME 22 NUMBER 42 This week we’re going to ask you to be the judge. We’re going to tell you a story, then give you a moment to decide what you think should be the outcome of a lawsuit. Once you’ve decided, we’ll tell you what actually happened in the courts. Ready?…
MARCH 2, 2015 VOLUME 22 NUMBER 9 We hear variations on this same story once every week or so. Dad (it might be Mom, or Aunt Bridget, or a long-time family friend) seemed to be adrift after his wife (her husband, her long-time companion) died. Then he met this woman who moved in with him…
JANUARY 27, 2014 VOLUME 21 NUMBER 4 Arizona has a relatively strong statute dealing with exploitation of vulnerable adults. An exploiter can be charged criminally, and might receive a longer sentence or larger fine because of the victim’s vulnerability. But the strongest part of the Arizona law is probably the provision that lets the victim…
DECEMBER 23, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 48 As people live longer and the elderly population increases, so does the likelihood of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults. Lawyers, accountants, doctors, nurses, caretakers, bankers — indeed, any professional — faces a growing probability that at some point they will be confronted with the issue of…
JUNE 17, 2013 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 23 Last week a colleague told us a story that we think needs to be shared. Patricia Sitchler, a nationally-known San Antonio lawyer with the prominent Texas firm Schoenbaum, Curphy & Scanlan, P.C., described her client’s eye-opening experience with a fraudulent attempt to access her bank account. We asked…
MARCH 12, 2012 VOLUME 19 NUMBER 10 Georgia Griffin (not her real name) moved from Kansas to Arizona in 1997. She lived in her own townhome in Sun City West, a retirement community northwest of Phoenix, until 2001, when she moved in next door to her daughter Barbara, who lived in Scottsdale. Georgia’s story was…
FEBRUARY 6, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 5 What can a parent do to ensure continuing care for his or her adult child with a disability? That was the dilemma facing Californian Earl Blacksher in the late 1980s. His daughter Ida McQueen lived with him in the family home in Oakland. She was developmentally disabled, and…
SEPTEMBER 6, 2010 VOLUME 17 NUMBER 28 The question addressed in a ruling last month by the Arizona Court of Appeals seems provocative. In a lawsuit based on the Arizona law prohibiting abuse, neglect or exploitation of vulnerable adults, does the very life of the abused senior have any intrinsic value? The Court’s answer: perhaps,…