Opinion ID: 2582572
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: in re guardianship of valentine

Text: ¶ 51 For over forty-five years, this court has recognized a citizen's right to control his or her financial affairs. In a case involving a petition for the appointment of a guardian of the property of an alleged incompetent, this court stated, [t]he right of every individual to handle his own affairs even at the expense of dissipating his fortune is a right jealousy guarded and one which will not be taken away except in extreme cases. In re Guardianship of Valentine, 4 Utah 2d 355, 294 P.2d 696, 702 (1956) (emphasis added). ¶ 52 In this case, Sharon Mellen, Ms. Mellen's daughter-in-law, asked Ms. Merkeley, Fairview's management person in charge of residents' funds, not to inform Ms. Mellen of the arrival of a check from the Veteran's Administration. According to Fairview, Sharon Mellen wanted to tell Ms. Mellen personally about the arrival of the check. Apparently, Sharon Mellen wanted to proceed in this manner because she planned to buy Ms. Mellen a new wheelchair with this money but knew she would have to convince Ms. Mellen to agree to the purchase. Fairview argues that it was proper for Fairview's staff to withhold this information from Ms. Mellen because Sharon Mellen was authorized to handle Ms. Mellen's money. ¶ 53 It is undisputed that Ms. Mellen signed a document stating: I hereby certify that Sharon Mellen has authorization to assist me in managing my personal needs allowance funds. (Emphasis added.) However, the language of this document does not in any way authorize Sharon or Fairview to deprive Ms. Mellen of her right to manage her personal finances by concealing the whereabouts of her funds or withholding information from her. As stated in In re Guardianship of Valentine, the right of every individual to manage his or her own financial affairs is jealously guarded. Id. at 702. It is impossible for one to manage one's financial affairs if one is purposefully deprived of the knowledge of relevant information, such as the arrival or deposit of a personal check. Furthermore, according to the language of section 75-5-401, Sharon cannot handle Ms. Mellen's money, or direct Ms. Mellen on how to spend her money, without Ms. Mellen's knowledge and consent, unless Ms. Mellen has been declared incompetent. The written document relied on by defendants does not constitute a relinquishment by Ms. Mellen of her right to manage her financial affairs, nor has Ms. Mellen been declared incompetent through the proper procedures. ¶ 54 It is important to note that Ms. Merkely and Ms. Maroney received written reprimands from Fairview for failing to tell Ms. Mellen about her check. In fact, a new policy was instituted by Fairview after this incident requiring that residents be informed of all their incoming funds, regardless of who assists them with their financial affairs. This change was, I submit, an acknowledgment by Fairview of what the laws and public policy of Utah require.