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Court Denies Guardianship Petition Based on Power of Attorney

JULY 29, 2002 VOLUME 10, NUMBER 4 Family members and caretakers are often confused by the difference between powers of attorney and guardianship. The difference is straightforward: powers of attorney can be signed by competent adults giving authority to someone else to act—including, but not necessarily limited, to those times when the signer may later […]

Feeding Tube Withdrawn From Patient With No Living Will

MAY 27, 2002 VOLUME 9, NUMBER 48 One way to help assure that you will not receive unwanted medical care is to sign an advance medical directive. Every U.S. state now recognizes health care powers of attorney (sometimes called health care proxies) or living wills. Nearly all states recognize both types of documents. Often, however, […]

Claimant In Will Contest Not Entitled To Trial By Jury

NOVEMBER 26, 2001 VOLUME 9, NUMBER 22 Alaskan Lillie M. Rahm was in her early nineties when she first met handyman Robert Riddell, then in his mid-sixties. Their friendship grew quickly, and Mr. Riddell moved in with Ms. Rahm within a few months. Two years later friends and relatives instituted legal proceedings that lasted well […]

Power of Attorney Does Not Always Avoid Conservatorship

AUGUST 27, 2001 VOLUME 9, NUMBER 9 Like many seniors, Robert Anderson signed a financial power of attorney, giving his daughter and son-in-law power to manage his financial affairs. He may have understood that the power of attorney would avoid the necessity of court proceedings to appoint a conservator if he became incapacitated. Having a […]

Heir Sues Agent For Adding Beneficiaries To Bank Accounts

JULY 23, 2001 VOLUME 9, NUMBER 4 Fae Powell had given her nephew Jackie Powell a power of attorney so that he could handle her financial affairs. Mr. Powell used that power of attorney to change over $600,000 worth of bank CDs into “payable on death” status, naming himself and other nephews and nieces as […]

Patient’s Right To Refuse Blood Upheld, Though Posthumously

MARCH 5, 2001 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 36 Maria Isabel Duran was a devout Jehovah’s Witness. The 34-year-old New York woman believed, along with most members of her faith, that the Bible prohibits transfusions of blood or blood products, even when life is threatened. Ms. Duran also needed a liver transplant operation. Her faith does not […]

Unlike Arizona, Oregon Power of Attorney Effective for Gifts

NOVEMBER 13, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 20 Suzanne C. Pruitt died in 1994 from complications related to her Alzheimer’s disease. At the time of her death her estate was worth over $1.4 million. The IRS argued that it should have been $120,000 more than that, and that the estate should pay just under $50,000 more […]

Court Invalidates “Power of Appointment” In Home Deed

MAY 22, 2000 VOLUME 7, NUMBER 47 Lucille Lucareli had three sons: Les Lee, Leigh and Robert. She owned her home in Racine, Wisconsin, and not much else. In 1996 she gave her son Les Lee a durable financial power of attorney, and she also took some steps to plan for the possibility that she […]

“Wrongful Prolongation of Life” Suit Dismissed In Indiana

MAY 1, 2000 VOLUME 7, NUMBER 44 It has taken three decades to establish, but the notion of patient self-determination is now firmly entrenched in American law. A patient has the right to instruct that life-sustaining medical care be withheld or removed. To protect against future treatment, an individual can execute a living will and/or […]

Trial Court Must Decide If Deed Obtained By Undue Influence

MARCH 13, 2000 VOLUME 7, NUMBER 37 “Undue influence” is usually thought of in connection with provisions in a will. It can also be cited in attempts to set aside transfers made during life, as a recent North Carolina case illustrates. In early 1996 Irene J. Stephenson signed a deed conveying her home and sixteen […]

Robert B. Fleming

Attorney

Robert Fleming is a Fellow of both the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been certified as a Specialist in Estate and Trust Law by the State Bar of Arizona‘s Board of Legal Specialization, and he is also a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Robert has a long history of involvement in local, state and national organizations. He is most proud of his instrumental involvement in the Special Needs Alliance, the premier national organization for lawyers dealing with special needs trusts and planning.

Robert has two adult children, two young grandchildren and a wife of over fifty years. He is devoted to all of them. He is also very fond of Rosalind Franklin (his office companion corgi), and his homebound cat Muninn. He just likes people, their pets and their stories.

Elizabeth N.R. Friman

Attorney

Elizabeth Noble Rollings Friman is a principal and licensed fiduciary at Fleming & Curti, PLC. Elizabeth enjoys estate planning and helping families navigate trust and probate administrations. She is passionate about the fiduciary work that she performs as a trustee, personal representative, guardian, and conservator. Elizabeth works with CPAs, financial professionals, case managers, and medical providers to tailor solutions to complex family challenges. Elizabeth is often called upon to serve as a neutral party so that families can avoid protracted legal conflict. Elizabeth relies on the expertise of her team at Fleming & Curti, and as the Firm approaches its third decade, she is proud of the culture of care and consideration that the Firm embodies. Finding workable solutions to sensitive and complex family challenges is something that Elizabeth and the Fleming & Curti team do well.

Amy F. Matheson

Attorney

Amy Farrell Matheson has worked as an attorney at Fleming & Curti since 2006. A member of the Southern Arizona Estate Planning Council, she is primarily responsible for estate planning and probate matters.

Amy graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in political science and English. She is an honors graduate of Suffolk University Law School and has been admitted to practice in Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining Fleming & Curti, Amy worked for American Public Television in Boston, and with the international trade group at White & Case, LLP, in Washington, D.C.

Amy’s husband, Tom, is an astronomer at NOIRLab and the Head of Time Domain Services, whose main project is ANTARES. Sadly, this does not involve actual time travel. Amy’s twin daughters are high school students; Finn, her Irish Red and White Setter, remains a puppy at heart.

Famous people's wills

Matthew M. Mansour

Attorney

Matthew is a law clerk who recently earned his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. His undergraduate degree is in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Matthew has had a passion for advocacy in the Tucson community since his time as a law student representative in the Workers’ Rights Clinic. He also has worked in both the Pima County Attorney’s Office and the Pima County Public Defender’s Office. He enjoys playing basketball, caring for his cat, and listening to audiobooks narrated by the authors.