Opinion ID: 796936
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Probate Court Orders

Text: 2 At the heart of this case are two Colorado probate court orders that determined that Beverly's 2 elderly father, Joseph Mann, is incapacitated and appointed defendant Gayle King as his guardian and conservator of his estate. The unfortunate circumstances surrounding the court's issuance of these orders are described in detail in Beverly's complaint. To summarize, Joseph was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in mid-2004. In October 2004, he left his hometown of Chicago, where he lived with Beverly, for what was to be a short trip to visit his granddaughter, King, in Golden, Colorado. While in Colorado, however, he broke his elbow and had to be hospitalized, at which point his mental health deteriorated rapidly. On November 4, 2004, after he was released from the hospital, Joseph executed a health-care power-of-attorney prepared by defendant attorney Stephenie Lorimer. This document, which is attached to the complaint, purports to revoke all prior powers-of-attorney, designates King as Joseph's attorney-in-fact, and also states that King is his preferred guardian in the event that he is deemed incapacitated. 3 Empowered by this power-of-attorney, King placed Joseph in defendant Golden Pond Senior Living Center and obtained a temporary restraining order that prohibited Beverly from contacting him. Beverly, having traveled to Colorado, tried several times to visit Joseph at Golden Pond and even enlisted the help of the local police. Each time, however, employees of Golden Pond, on King's orders and in compliance with the restraining order, refused to let Beverly see her father. As a result, Beverly claims that she has not seen or spoken to her father since November 28, 2004, when she visited him at the Grand Oaks Nursing Home, where he lived briefly before being moved to Golden Pond. 4 On December 4, 2004, King filed a petition under the Colorado probate code that requested a determination that Joseph was incapacitated and sought appointment as his guardian. In a separate petition, she sought appointment as the conservator of Joseph's estate. With the court's permission, Beverly intervened in the action as an interested person and filed objections to the petitions on multiple grounds. She argued primarily that King had manipulated Joseph into signing the November 4, 2004, power-of-attorney at a time when he lacked capacity to make such decisions. She argued that the power-of-attorney was, therefore, null and void and could not operate to void any prior powers-of-attorney, including a 1998 power-of-attorney that Joseph had executed, designating Beverly as his attorney-in-fact. Defendant state court judge Brian Boatright held a hearing on the petitions on April 19, 2005. He excused Joseph from attending the hearing based on a motion filed by Joseph's court-appointed attorney, defendant David Gloss. Beverly, however, attended the hearing, testified, and questioned witnesses. 5 On May 9, 2005, and May 11, 2005, Judge Boatright issued orders granting the petitions for guardianship and conservatorship, respectively. In the guardianship order, which is attached to the complaint, the court found by clear and convincing evidence that Joseph was an incapacitated person as a result of severe memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease. With respect to the appointment of King, the court stated that it ha[d] considered the wishes of the respondent [Joseph] concerning the selection of the guardian as filed in the visitor's report and reiterated by respondent's Court appointed attorney. R. doc. 1, attach. 5 at 1. 6 The guardianship order grants King broad control over Beverly's access to Joseph. It prohibits Beverly from speaking to Joseph in person or by telephone without King's consent and provides that Beverly may send letters and videotapes to Joseph, subject to pre-screening by King. It also states that any correspondence that Beverly sends shall in no manner be disparaging towards the rest of the family, the Ward's residence in Colorado or the court proceedings granting Guardianship and Conservatorship to Mrs. King. Id., attach. 5 at 2. Although Beverly filed numerous motions in the probate court challenging the guardianship and conservatorship orders, she did not appeal the orders to the Colorado Court of Appeals.