Court Opinion

ID: 9726080
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 12:30:10.090858+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:23.385652
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE HEIPLE, concurring in part and dissenting in part: Having initially been adjudicated to be an incompetent, Mr. Wellman was made a ward of the court and a guardian was appointed. Later, the wardship was terminated and the guardian was discharged. The guardian appealed. Soon thereafter, Mr. Wellman died. The majority opinion holds, in part, that the termination of the wardship and the discharge of the guardian deprived the guardian of his standing to appeal. I disagree as a matter of public policy. Trial courts can be wrong. In this case, for instance, if the trial court was in error and misperceived Mr. Wellman’s true condition, the only way to protect his estate and to remedy the situation would be to afford the discharged guardian a right to appeal. We know, in fact, that, at an earlier time, Mr. Wellman was found to be elderly, ill, confused, and unable to properly care for himself. Surely, a restoration decision should at least be subject to the possibility of review. Otherwise, an erroneous order of restoration might facilitate the wasting and dissipation of the former ward’s estate. If, as the majority rules, the former guardian has no right to take an appeal, then, quite simply, there is no appeal since no one else is in a position to bring it. I, of course, agree with the majority’s position that the death of the ward terminated the guardian’s standing to appeal. However, on the salient and important point of whether a guardian should be allowed to appeal a restoration order, I respectfully dissent. As a matter of public policy, a guardian should retain the right to appeal the restoration of a person previously declared to be incompetent. JUSTICE McMORROW joins in this partial concurrence and partial dissent.