Opinion ID: 1837616
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: On May 5, 1988, the court-appointed conservator for Beatrice Irene Bryan filed a complaint in the Chancery Court of Harrison County, First Judicial District, against the previous conservator, James A. Bryan, and his wife, Elizabeth M. Bryan, in two counts: (1) count one, directed against James and Elizabeth Bryan, alleged they were holding assets and property of the ward, Beatrice Irene Bryan, and sought damages plus interest stemming from intentional misappropriation of funds and defrauding of the estate; and, (2) the second count sought a judgment against the surety bonding company which had written James Bryan's conservatorship bond, Western Surety Company, for $20,000.00, the amount of the bond. James and Elizabeth Bryan appeal from an adverse judgment of $177,159.44 entered on March 26, 1990. This Court holds conservators, as fiduciaries of the ward's estate, can be held personally liable for violating the fiduciary duty and misappropriating estate funds; and, further directs that law firms representing the estate have the option of obtaining court assistance when unable to obtain the cooperation of the conservator in complying with statutory requirements governing the conservatorship. For the reasons below, this Court affirms the judgment against James and Elizabeth Bryan, and also affirms the judgment against the surety bonding company.