Opinion ID: 2590411
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: ¶ 2 The following facts are presented in the order certifying the question or in the record as certified to this Court. On April 7, 1999, Donald R. Russell (the ward) executed a durable power of attorney (DPA) naming Brenda Kennemer (Kennemer), his daughter, as his attorney-in-fact to become effective upon [his] disability or incapacity. The ward's DPA gave Kennemer broad power over the ward's person and his property, including (1) the power to sell, convey, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, release, hypothecate or otherwise deal with, dispose of, exchange, or encumber any of my property, either real or personal, (2) the power to withdraw funds from and draw and sign checks in my name upon any bank or trust company, savings institution, or money-market fund in which I may have funds on deposit or in any new account opened in my name, (3) the power to hold, invest, reinvest and otherwise deal with and manage all property in which I have any interest, and (4) the power to transfer or surrender any securities which I may own. The ward's DPA provided that it shall be valid and binding upon me until revoked or terminated. ¶ 3 In June of 1999, the ward arranged for the defendant, Chase Investment Services Corporation (Chase), to act as custodian of his Individual Retirement Account and to make $1,000.00 monthly distributions to him from the account. In April of 2000, the ward suffered a stroke, and Kennemer and the ward's wife, Suzanne Russell (Russell), agreed that the ward became incapacitated on or about April 23, 2000. [3] ¶ 4 On February 26, 2001, the Oklahoma District Court for Wagoner County issued an order finding the ward to be incapacitated and naming Kennemer and Russell as co-guardians. [4] On March 15, 2001, Kennemer and Russell jointly filed an inventory of the ward's property. ¶ 5 The record contains an amended plan for the ward's care and treatment. It provides that the ward shall remain in his home, that Kennemer will be retained on a full time monthly basis to care for the Ward, that Kennemer will be paid $1,500.00 a month, and that [t]he Arkansas Valley CD will be cashed and used to provide the necessary funds to pay Brenda Kennemer. The record does Not contain a plan for management of the ward's financial resources. [5] Neither Kennemer nor Russell filed yearly accountings from 2001 through 2005. On July 31, 2006, Russell filed a yearly accounting for August 8, 2005, through July 18, 2006. ¶ 6 According to Russell's deposition, soon after being named guardians, she and Kennemer presented Chase with the ward's DPA and the guardianship letters. [6] Russell alleges that between 2002 and 2005, Chase, at Kennemer's request and based on the ward's DPA, made approximately $99,000.00 in distributions from the ward's IRA. Russell contends that she confronted Kennemer and that Kennemer then committed suicide. ¶ 7 Russell sued Chase [7] in the Tulsa County District Court for the State of Oklahoma. The petition alleges that the defendant, as a fiduciary, allowed Kennemer to withdraw the ward's IRA assets with no proof of her authority to do so. The case was removed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. On April 27, 2007, Russell filed a motion asking the federal district court to formulate and certify a question of state law to this Court. Chase initially opposed the motion. At the pretrial hearing held on October 14, 2008, the parties agreed to the question's certification. On October 28, 2008, the Honorable Gregory K. Frizzell issued an order certifying the question to this Court. ¶ 8 In addressing certified questions, this Court's power is limited to answering questions of law. 20 O.S.2001, § 1602. Thus, this Court does not function as a fact finder when answering questions certified pursuant to title 20, sections 1601 through 1606. Russell alleged that Kennemer misappropriated the money disbursed by Chase pursuant to the ward's DPA. We note that the federal district court's statement of facts and the record presented to this Court are incomplete for a determination of this alleged fact. There is nothing in the statement of facts or the record supporting Russell's allegation that Kennemer misappropriated the money allegedly improperly disbursed by Chase. No fact question can be resolved by this Court when answering a certified question of law. There are other allegations, such as whether Russell had access to the ward's accounts and their balances, which are, likewise, not properly before this Court.