Opinion ID: 1847774
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: charles asks his attorney to represent leona

Text: Charles testified that Leona had repeatedly told him that she wanted to change her will. Yet, he did not attempt to contact Leona's longtime attorney, who had drafted her 1993 will and power of attorney. He testified that in late 2004, in response to Leona's inquiry, he told her that she could discuss changing her estate plan with his attorney, Terry Rogers. He further stated that she agreed to Charles' contacting Rogers, which he did. Rogers' billing statement shows that Charles contacted him on December 2, 3 days after removing Leona from the nursing home. According to Charles, Rogers suggested a trust. On December 10, 2004, Rogers met with Leona at Charles' house. At this time, Rogers was also representing Charles on an unrelated assault charge. Rogers knew that Dolores and Charles were Leona's joint attorneys in fact, and he knew that Dolores was concerned Charles was misappropriating Leona's assets. Rogers admitted that he knew he might have a conflict of interest. He was representing Charles and his wife, and Charles would benefit from Dolores' disinheritance. Charles could not remember whether he had paid Rogers for Charles' personal legal matters out of Leona's funds. Rogers stated that Leona orally agreed to waive any conflict regarding his past and present representation of Charles and his wife. He stated that he agreed to represent Leona only after Charles and his wife understood that his advice to Leona could be contrary to what they would prefer. In contrast to Charles' statements, Rogers testified that he was not asked to meet with Leona to discuss her will. According to Rogers, he had the following discussion with Leona on December 10, 2004: While discussing the conservatorship proceeding with him out of Charles' presence, Leona asked Rogers to do some estate planning. Leona stated that she thought she had made a will, but that she could not remember what it said and that she wanted a new one. On cross-examination, however, Rogers admitted Leona had told him that she did not know where the will was and that she wanted to dispose of her property as her father hadwith her son getting the land and her daughter getting the cash. Rogers advised her to create a revocable trust before a court ordered a conservatorship against her wishes. Leona was purportedly unconcerned when he explained that Dolores might receive nothing from the trust if Leona lived a long time. Leona agreed with Charles to include the farm equipment as a trust asset and agreed to convey all her farmland to the trust in a quitclaim deed. Rogers stated that Leona knew that Charles was taking her money, but that Leona did not want him to pay it back. According to Rogers, she was dismissive of Charles' attempt to include as a trust asset any money he had borrowed. Rogers, however, insisted that the debt be included. He stated that Leona's anger at Dolores was rational because Leona did not want Charles to account for his conduct. Both Charles and Rogers stated that Charles was not present when Rogers discussed the will and trust with Leona. And Charles claimed he could not recall whether he had talked to Rogers about the terms of the trust or will. But he admitted that Rogers had advised him a trust would be the best solution for the farm business. Charles also admitted that he participated in discussions with Rogers and Leona about a trust and that he had encouraged her to create it. Charles did not, however, explain to Leona that Dolores would likely not receive any property if Leona created the trust. The record also shows that Charles consulted with Rogers on December 15, 2004, regarding Leona's estate plans. Apparently, this is the date when Charles told Rogers that he and Leona had agreed to include as a trust asset a $20,000 debt from Charles. This loan did not, however, include the royalty checks he had cashed, and he could not remember whether it included any cash payments to himself. Rogers included this loan as a trust asset. Charles also told Rogers that Leona had agreed to have an old friend of Charles, a farmer in the community whom Leona seemed to know, serve as her trustee. Rogers said that he did not speak to Leona again until December 30, when she signed the documents. On December 16, 2004, Rogers sent a letter to Charles explaining his possible conflict of interest, to ensure that he and his wife did not object to Rogers' representing Leona. But he did not send a corresponding letter to Leona. Also on December 16, Charles called Rogers to say that he had found Leona's 1993 will. Charles knew that Leona had made a will because she had shown it to him in 2003 before entering the nursing home. And he knew that under that will, he was required to make a cash payment to Dolores. Charles faxed a copy of the will to Rogers. Rogers knew that the 1993 will contained a provision that either gave Dolores a lien against the property or required Charles to pay money to Dolores so that she would receive her share of the estate. But Rogers instructed Charles to shred the old will, and Rogers shredded his copy. He stated that this was his standard practice to avoid confusion between wills when a client executes a new will. Charles admitted that he had probably burned the earlier will. Neither Rogers nor Charles ever informed Leona that her old will had been found. Charles' housekeeper testified that Leona had told her she had a will but that she was executing a new one because the old one was lost. Leona also told her that the new will was the same as the old one. On Christmas 2004, Dolores spoke to Leona on the telephone. Angry, Charles called Dolores and accused her of trying to steal the farm. Leona's sister-in-law also spoke to Leona on Christmas. Leona was upset and repeated that Charles had told her Dolores was trying to steal the farm.