kill all the lawyers? (how our schemata's were broken)

8/19/2019 Kill All The Lawyers? (How our schemata's were broken)

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Kill All The Lawyers?(How our schemata's were broken)

byHugo and Edna v!

"o#yright $ %&&% and %% and % by Hugo and Edna

This entire ebook is copyright © by Hugo and Edna 2015. You are welcome to share thisebook with your riends. This ebook may be reproduced! copied and distributed or non"commercial purposes! pro#ided the book remains in its complete original orm. Thank you.

re*ace to the re*ace

This book is a cautionary tale. $ter reading it! you should be #ery #ery scared. You willunderstand that in $merica today! the ruling class is made up o lawyers. $nd lawyers! beingthe greedy personality disordered subhumans that they are! happily suck the peasants%people& dry! and cause great amounts o mental anguish. 'awyers make the laws to beneitthemsel#es! and will continue to do so until they! like the (rench monarchy! create their ownundoing. True! there aren)t many guillotines in $merica! but there are plenty o wood chippers.

re*ace

Kill All The Lawyers? will e*plain why you are doomed. $dmittedly! it is dull! not a spellbinder.%How)s that or honesty+& This book is a true horror story. , you read it! you will be #eryscared or a #ery long time! maybe ore#er! assuming that you ha#e a unctioning brain. -okidding. Howe#er! i you are a lawyer or a thie! you might die rom laughter. ood.

/ompare our nightmare with the propaganda you)#e seen on lawyer T shows and mo#ies.(ind out about all the unpleasant acts o lie when you)re in#ol#ed in a lawsuit. $nd learnabout the ral /ontract ,ncome edistribution 3cam! and how easy it is! with the help o thelegal system! to take money rom old people with 4ementia or $lheimer)s disease.

6uch o this book attempts to gi#e you inormation! and not keep you on the edge o yourseat. 7hat , write in this book is actual. ,t is about the dysunctional legal system! as well asa dysunctional amily. 7ith the e*ception o telephone con#ersations and ace"to"acecon#ersations! , can document what , tell you! assuming materials supposedly li#ing with thecourt system aren8t missing i they are needed. 9nortunately! , cannot teach you how toprotect yoursel rom :udges and lawyers! since there is no way you can protect yoursel romthem.


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would call and ask him to come and #isit her! or to accept her in#itation or a Thanksgi#ingdinner. n these occasions! 4oris would be speaking to Edmond)s answering machine.Edmond rarely returned her call. Aust why Edmond abandoned his amily is a mystery. Ednabelie#es that there is a amily gene that aects the males in her amily. 3he can namenumerous male relati#es who ha#e also abandoned their amilies! including Edmond)s son

eorge who abandoned Edmond! all or no apparent reason. (or whate#er reason! Edna gotno help rom Edmond taking care o their mother in her declining years! or at any time or thatmatter.

Edna has a daughter! honda! who was B< years old when the ollowing story begins. Ceingpolite! honda is >strange?. Her ather -ed was Edna)s irst husband. He was bi"polar! whichused to be called manic"depressi#e. He was a handul or Edna to deal with. n oneoccasion! when honda was two years old! Edna ound -ed trying to eed his pills or his bi"polar condition to honda. Edna reaked out. -ed said that since the pills made him eelgood! he thought they would make honda eel good too. 6aybe honda was mistreated orabused by -ed! which caused her to be >strange?. $nd not nice. $nd a #ery angry and meanperson.

Coth Edna and ,! armed with our 6aster)s degrees in psychology! assume that someone atsometime se*ually molested honda! which is the cause o her e*treme anger andspiteulness. Edna and honda are estranged rom each other. Edna also has a son! Ephrim.He is a ew years younger than honda! and he! like his uncle Edmond! has abandoned hismother. $pparently he and his sister honda are close! or at least are on speaking terms.

Edna inally di#orced -ed when their children were in their late teens. -ed went to li#e inanother 3tate! where his brother and sister li#ed and they helped take care o him. He diedrom a >head in:ury? beore the ollowing story begins. $lthough , can)t conirm this! it wascommon knowledge that ater he mo#ed away! -ed would go into con#enience stores andpick a ight with someone! and the police would be called and they)d take him to the localhospital! where he would be gi#en medicine or his bi"polar condition. Edna and , wonder i-ed picked a ight with the wrong person! maybe with a police oicer! which resulted in ahead in:ury. honda knows the circumstances o her ather)s death! but she isn)t talking aboutit! at least not to Edna.

,ackground in*ormation *or understanding this book

,n 2000! when 4oris was The irst thing he asked me was whether , had a 7ill. , told him ,did.?

$ ew weeks later! Edmond ga#e a small party or amily members he hadn)t seen in manyyears. The party was held at his girlriend uth)s home! so Edmond)s relati#es got to meether. The #ery irst thing Edmond said to his sister Edna! who he hadn)t seen in 11 years! was


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>4oes mother ha#e a 7ill+? Edna said she did. Edmond replied! >That)s what she said but ,wanted to be sure.? There was almost no urther contact between Edna and her brother orabout another our years ater this party he ga#e or relati#es.

4oris had set up her estate years earlier. 3he did a beautiul :ob. 3he created three

certiicates o deposit %/4)s&! one or Edna! one or Edmond! and one or her grandchildren%honda! Ephrim! and two others! 4ennis and eorge who were Edmond)s children&. The/4)s were in 4oris) name! but the children and grandchildren were beneiciaries! and sowould inherit money when she died. -o lawyers or probate in#ol#ed.

4oris also put Edna)s name on the deed or her ully paid or condo. 3he told Edna that herlawyer suggested she do this or a number o reasons. , at some time in the uture! Ednaneeded to enter the condo to help her mother! she)d ha#e the legal right to do that! sinceshe)d be a part owner. $nother reason was that it was to be part o Edna)s inheritance. ,Edna wanted to li#e there! or sell it! that would be up to her. $nd again! no lawyers or probatewould be in#ol#ed. 7hen 4oris died! the condo would automatically be Edna)s. 4oris said thatshe didn)t put Edmond on the deed because he wasn)t around and so wouldn)t be helpul toher i she needed help! and she didn)t want to reward him or his long absence rom theamily.

4oris had a 7ill drawn up! lea#ing speciic things to her children and grandchildren. (ore*ample! she let honda the >good? china! and Ephrim his grandather)s record collectionand stereo. 3he let Edna all the urniture and anything else that wasn)t gi#en in her 7ill tosomeone else. $nd as :ust mentioned! 4oris also put Edna)s name on the deed or the condo4oris owned! and 4oris also had a durable power o attorney %4D$& created! with Ednabeing the person who could act on her behal i the need arose.

$ 4D$ is one that doesn)t go into eect until someone! usually a doctor! decides that theperson the 4D$ is or can)t take care o himsel or hersel! and so needs someone to act orhim or her.

Edmond would #isit his mother and take her out to dinner a ew times a year. This was betterthan his being completely absent! but there were a ew problems associated with his #isits.(irst! he took 4oris to The /heesecake (actory! where 4oris would eat cheesecake. Theproblem with that was that she had diabetes! and eating sweets was a big no no or her. Ednawould occasionally ind pastries in her mother)s rerigerator when putting away groceries shebought or her mother. Edna let a #oice message and then sent an email to Edmond! tellinghim that he shouldn)t take 4oris to the /heesecake (actory to eat sweets! and he should stopbringing homemade pastries to 4oris. 7hen Edna mentioned the abo#e to me! , casuallycommented that he was trying to kill his mother or his inheritance. Edna thought , might beright. h! and it turned out that when Edmond took his mother out to dinner! 4oris paid or themeal! which oten included paying or his girlriendiancee uth.

$round 200B! 4oris) memory problems couldn)t be dismissed as :ust a >senior moment? e#erynow and then. Edna started taking 4oris to the psychiatrist she worked or. , dro#e her tothese appointments and home again. $bout ten minutes ater the appointment was inished! ,would dri#e 4oris to her condo. , would asked her how her appointment went. 3he always


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$t that time! 4oris started calling Edna se#eral times a day! instead o once e#ery week ortwo! upset because >some lawyer? called her and wanted her to change her 7ill. 3ometimes4oris was crying when she would make these calls. Edna again told 4oris to call the lawyerand tell him to stop bothering her.

$s Edna suspected! it turned out that the lawyer who wanted 4oris to change her 7ill was3eymour! the one who also wanted the deed to the condo! and the one who made 4oris) 7ill.7hen Edna realied who the lawyer was! she sent him a letter reminding him that she hadpre#iously sent him letters rom 4oris) psychiatrist saying that 4oris was not mentallycompetent to make inancial decisions! and that he had ad#ised her how to acti#ate the4D$ he had drawn up. Thereore! since the psychiatrist said that 4oris was not mentallycompetent! she shouldn)t make any changes to her estate! which she set up when she wascompetent. 3eymour ignored this letter and kept calling 4oris to make changes in her 7ill! tothe beneit o Edmond.

Edna spoke to Cart! one o her >telephone riends? who was a lawyer she knew rom work!and e*plained that her mother was not mentally competent and that a lawyer was trying to gether to change her 7ill. 3he asked Cart i he could contact the lawyer and get him to back o.Cart said he)d write a letter on her behal. He did! but nothing cameo it.

Edna was so upset by lawyer 3eymour)s trying to get 4oris to change her 7ill! she sent anemail to her brother and children telling them what was going on! and Fuestioned why thelawyer was doing what he was doing. 3he said that she intended to keep 4oris) estate planthe way it was set up when 4oris was thinking clearly. 3he also Fuestioned whether thelawyer was planning on making money in a lawsuit deending any change he managed toha#e made! i he was successul in getting 4oris) 7ill changed! and i a lawsuit about thosechanges took place. Edna didn)t say! but she wondered i 3eymour had made a deal withEdmond to get a percentage o whate#er he could get Edmond. $ter sending this email!Edna got a letter rom 3eymour which upset her. (ollowing is a letter Edna sent to 3eymour inresponseG

-.r! ".!

%! /egarding the condo being #laced in 0oint tenancy1 + was not consulted in advance2but told that was what she wanted to do! + do not a##reciate the insinuation (-+ will notinvolve mysel* with your role in bringing that about!3) which + read as a veiled threat toattem#t to undo that trans*er because you *eel + took advantage o* my mother2 andtwisted her arm to get her to make me a 0oint tenant2 about *i*teen years ago! +* that wasyour #oint2 then + am sure her attorney 4at that time52 (and his son who is also anattorney) will be interested in seeing your evidence!

! 6our #oint that + must agree with you that my mother is com#etent because + had aower o* Attorney drawn u#2 and an incom#etent #erson can7t legally sign one2 isridiculous! Trying to kee# a very long story short2 one which involves a number o*tele#hone calls2 two letters and one meeting with a long8time *riend o* my #arents (o*#robably years standing)2 who is also an attorney1


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He told me that he was concerned about my mother7s con*usion! + told him that shehas good days and bad days2 although the bad days were becoming more numerous! +asked him how + could #rotect her *rom hersel*! 9he has been talking about giving hermoney away because2 as she said numerous times2 she doesn7t need it! He suggested

a ower o* Attorney! + asked i* her con*usion would invalidate it! He advised that + wait*or one o* those days when she was -her old sel*3! That is 0ust what + did! + call herevery morning at :1 to remind her to take her #ills! .any mornings she is con*used!The *irst day she wasn7t con*used2 + le*t work early and took my mother to a notary! 9hethanked me *or taking care o* her! That day was like being with my mother o* old!

;! 6our insinuation that + would take advantage o* my mother or do something illegal isre#ugnant! Turn8about is *air #lay! + ran into di**iculty getting that ower o* Attorneyacce#ted by the bank! Then2 while going through some o* my mother7s #a#ers2 + *oundthe + am in*orming you that


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D! As *or my brother and changes to my mother7s Cill and dis#osition o* her #ro#erty1

.y brother distanced himsel* *rom our *amily *or a #eriod o* thirty years2 with only anoccasional holiday get8together every *ew years! He would not break a vacation short

to visit my *ather when he was on his death bed in the hos#ital! A*ter my *ather7sdeath2 my brother was absent *rom the *amily2 with no contact at all2 *or a##ro>imatelyten years!


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4oris) orgetulness was getting worse. $t the end o $ugust 200@! Edna got an email romher aunt E#elyn! 4oris) younger sister. ,n it she mentioned 4oris) orgetulness and said that4oris didn)t know who her son Edmond was.

$t about this time! 4oris started telling Edna that she wanted to gi#e away all o her money.

3he)d ask! >7hy should , wait to die to gi#e people money+? Edna tried to e*plain to 4oristhat she might need her money or her care! and so gi#ing away all her money wasn)t a goodidea. 3ometimes 4oris seemed to understand this! and other times she)d :ust shrug hershoulders.

Edna went to the bank and asked someone what she could do to protect 4oris rom hersel.3ince she had three dierent power)s o attorney by this time! Edna was told!that the bankwould put a notice in their computer system saying that i 4oris tried to!do anything with hermoney! Edna would be notiied and ha#e to gi#e her permission. 3o Edna elt a bit better. Cutwatching her mother deteriorate and >talk nonsense? was upsetting.

Edna thought that someone was putting the idea o gi#ing away money into 4oris) head. Ednathought it might be one o 4oris) riends! or a neighbor in the condo building! or maybe herdaughter honda. Edna thought that honda was the type o person to steal money rom anold person. Edna thought it best to send Edmond a >heads up? email! to alert him that theirmother wanted to gi#e her money away. n $ugust 20! 200@! Edna included in an email shewrote to Edmond the ollowingG

-+ am concerned because it seems that someone (/honda? =ne o* mother7s *riends?)has been trying to talk her into taking money out o* the bank now to dis#erse to *amily!+ s#oke with her attorney 4ot 9eymour5 yesterday and he said that would be a verybad idea as she may need that money in the *uture to su##ort hersel*! 9he doesn7tunderstand this! lease hel# me to make sure she does not make any changes in her*inances! 9o #lease hel# me tell .om that she should kee# her money as she may needit! He also mentioned that i* someone does get her to do this2 there could be legalre#ercussions in that she is not *ully able to make decisions rationally now andwhoever hel#s her to make such changes could be accused o* taking advantage o* a#erson 4who5 is not com#letely able to make her own decisions!3

3eymour :ust wouldn)t Fuit -ot only did he continue to harass 4oris about changing herestate plan! but he continued to harass Edna. -ow he started accusing Edna o orcing hermother to put her name on the condo 4eed. The reality was that Edna didn)t e#en know hermother was adding her to the 4eed until ater 4oris did it! with the help o a dierent lawyer!not 3eymour. Edna had always told her mother to do whate#er she wanted with her assetswhen 4oris was still thinking clearly and asked or Edna)s ad#ice. 7e decided 3eymour mustha#e been desperate or work and or a client to send bills to. 7hy else would he continue topursue 4oris to get her to change her plans.

7e also wondered how 4oris >hooked up? with 3eymour. ,t turns out that his mother owns thecondo ne*t to 4oris). That is the only connection we ha#e ound between lawyer 3eymour and4oris.


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4oris got a bill dated 3eptember 20! 200@ rom 3eymour or ;1!100. course! 4oris didn)tunderstand what the bill was! let along what it was or. 3he showed it to Edna! who wrote acheck rom the :oint checking account they had! to pay it. 6ost o the bill was or canceledappointments with 4oris. Edna decided that it was simpler to pay the %thie#ing& lawyer o thanto get into a lawsuit o#er his bill.

$ month ater Edna sent the email to Edmond about someone putting an idea into theirmother)s head about gi#ing away all her money! 4oris told Edna that Edmond was coming tosee her on the ne*t 3unday! and asked Edna to be there too and to be sure to bring me withher. Edna reminded her mother that she always came o#er on 3undays. 4oris said shewanted Edna to be there when Edmond was because she elt uncomortable. 3eymour hadbeen calling and telling her to change her 7ill! and she thought that maybe Edmond hadsomething to do with that. 3he continued saying that maybe Edmond was going to make hersign things! and she didn)t want to! so she wanted Edna and me there.

n 3eptember 1

$t irst the con#ersation was between Edmond and 4oris! and was :ust chit chat. -othingmemorable. Edna wasn)t taking part. Then Edmond said to Edna! >7hen mother dies! , wantyou to gi#e me hal o the condo.? He was sitting right ne*t to4oris when he said that. 4oriswas oendedupset. 3he stood up and turned to lea#e the kitchen. 3he was now acing Edna.3he said! >4o what you want? and let the room. Edmond)s commentdemand wasine*cusable. $ter 4oris let! Edna said! >6aybe ,)ll gi#e you as much as 2I! but to get that!you)ll ha#e to call o your lawyer! and help me with 6other! and i 6other e#er needs money!you)ll ha#e to chip in.? Cy this time Edna decided that 3eymour was working or Edmond! butbilling 4oris. Edmond said! >7hy only 2I+? Edna said! >Cecause , think you may ha#ebeen around the amily 2I o the time since you were 1=?.

(or the irst time! , spoke. , said! >Edmond! Fuite some time ago your mother set up a ;50!000/4 with you as the beneiciary! and it)s gained interest o#er the years. That)s not enoughmoney or you+ You need to take hal o your sister)s inheritance+? Edmond :ust looked at me., elt uncomortable so , let the room. , elt a >presence? behind me! so , turned and there wasEdmond. He said to me! #ery politely! >Hugo don)t talk about my inances in ront o uth.? ,realied , made a social error! and said! >7ell! you introduce her as your iancee! so , :ustthought you knew about each other)s money.? Edmond repeated that , shouldn)t talk about hisinances in ront o uth. , walked past him and went back into the kitchen. Edna was puttingthe bag o pills back into a cupboard! saw me! and said she thought it was time or us tolea#e. 3he)d lea#e paying her mother)s bills or another day. 4oris was no longerremembered how to write a check! and she no longer could understand what her bills wereor. 3o Edna had been writing the checks and mailing them or Fuite some time.


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7e went into the li#ing room where 4oris was sitting. Edna kissed her mother goodbye! and ,wa#ed goodbye! and we walked out the door. $s soon as the door shut behind us! Edna saidto me! >3hare could mean 1@ o 1I. $t least now maybe he)ll call o his lawyer and stopharassing me and mom.?

Two days later Edna recei#ed a letter rom 3eymour the lawyer! saying that she)d ha#e to putthe >agreement? in writing! or it wouldn)t be enorceable. The letter was addressed to 4oris!with a copy sent to Edna)s lawyer riend Cart. Cart sent a copy o the letter to Edna. 7eassume that 3eymour also sent a copy o the letter to Edmond. ,n the letter 3eymour wrotethat 4oris had a moral obligation to put the agreement in writing. , she didn)t! 3eymour wrotethat the >agreement? was unenorceable. Edna read the letter! ga#e it to me! and said! >7hatagreement+? Jnowing that the agreement! whate#er it was! was unenorceable made Ednaeel a bit better about the strange situation regarding the condo and 4oris) 7ill. $nd i therewas an agreement! Edmond :ust broke it by getting his lawyer in#ol#ed! instead o calling3eymour o. , mean! is the agreement or 50I or 2I or or what amount! i anything+? $nd isthere an agreement i Edna elt pressured to tell her brother she)d share anything with him./an you say 4uress+ $nd were there conditions that Edmond had to meet! such as helpingwith his mother+ 3eymour)s demand that the >agreement? be put into writing was the last weheard rom him about the condo.

The ne*t day Edna got an email rom Edmond demanding that she put the agreement inwriting! and within K0 days o 4oris) death either Edna was to put the condo up or sale or buyhis 50I share rom him. The act that he had no claim to the condo apparently was irrele#antto both Edmond and 3eymour. 3ince this email echoed the letter 3eymour sent to 4oris andorwarded to Edna by Edna8s attorney riend! e#en with the same wording in parts! Edna drewthe logical conclusion that Edmond was the one behind all the harassment about 4orischanging her 7ill. His lawyer! 3eymour! had billed 4oris. -ity or Edmond. How Edmond>hooked up? with 3eymour is another mystery to us! but we assume that he rummagedthrough 4oris) papers on the occasions he)d drop o#er to take her to the /heesecake (actory.

Edna showed the email rom Edmond to her mother! and e*plained some o it because 4oriswas ha#ing problems understanding things. Then Edna summed up their con#ersation in anemail she sent to her brother! with the sub:ect line >You owe me big time?

-Edmond2 6ou have overste##ed the line! + told you about two weeks ago that + wouldshare with you i* you #artici#ate in hel#ing .om and i* we don7t need to deal withattorneys! 9unday when we met at .om7s you acted like you were *ine with everything+ said about making sure everything remained intact to take care o* .om7s needs! Thenlast night2 a##arently a*ter con*erring with your lawyer (since your demands #aralleledthose he sent to my lawyer2) you demanded an agreement to be drawn u# by anattorney and to your s#eci*ications! Bust so you know2 your lawyer has continued toharass .other although she clearly told him to leave her alone both verbally and inwriting! 9he was very u#set to receive a #hone call *rom him today! He has beennoti*ied i* he continues to bother her2 + will sue him! + sim#ly will not let anyone u#set.other any more! Enough is enoughG 9he is entitled to have some #eace in her li*e!.other is *urther u#set by the *act that you are making the demands o* me that you are!9he is ready to disinherit you altogether! 9he has told me to share with you whatever +


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think is a##ro#riate when the time comes! + did convince her that she should notretract the @2I that is in a trust 4bene*iciary o* a "10 more years o silence? was in reerence to Edmond)s total absence rom the amilywhich began the day ater his ather)s uneral. That was in 1

n a (riday in ctober 2005! Edna made her daily call to her mother at se#en in the morning!and got no answer. This alarmed Edna! so she called one o 4oris) neighbors! who had a keyto 4oris) condo! and asked her to check on 4oris. 7e let our house and twenty minutes laterwe were at the condo. The neighbor was nowhere to be ound. 7e tried to open the door tothe condo but it was >stuck? and we couldn)t open it. Edna called paranoid? and 4oris belie#ed that >a man? had taken aset o keys to her condo and she was araid. course Edna tried to reassure 4oris! but shewould return to that antasy e#ery ew weeks.

nce the door was open the iremen and paramedics ound 4oris lying on the loor o theli#ing room. 3he was ali#e! but unconscious. They put her on a stretcher and got her to thehospital in :ust a ew moments. 4oris spent a long time in the emergency room! with Ednawith her as much as the hospital would permit. 4oris had suered a heart attack! which washer third. Cesides dementia! 4oris had a bad heart! arthritis in her knees! and diabetes.Thinking about it! it)s amaing that she was still ali#e at


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Edna spoke to her amily about what should be done. $rrange or 2@L >sitters? to stay with4oris at the condo! or mo#e her to an assisted li#ing residence. The amily thought that>sitters? would be a good idea! since letting 4oris stay in amiliar surroundings! which waspre#iously suggested by her psychiatrist! might help lessen 4oris) growing conusion.

(ollowing are medical records which show that 4oris was suering rom dementia. , amincluding them >or the record?! but also because they become important as this cautionarytale continues.

A,,/E+ATE< .E


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patient back to bed. $t 20B0 " 6o#ed patient to room closer to nurses) station. $t 2115 "/alled 4r. '. regarding patient. Datient remains con*used! agitated. Jeeps getting out o bedand wandering. 4r. recommended calling daughter to come in or sitter. /alled Edna. and shesaid she would come. $t 22B0 " 4aughter and husband arri#e. Husband was agitated andangry with nursing sta or mo#ing patient and told sta that mo#ing her con*used patient.

-urse tried to e*plain it was or patient)s saety so they could keep closer watch o#er her.Husband was yelling and said it was the nurses) problem and they should take care o it andget someone to sit with her. 4r. '. called back to ollow up. $t 22@0 " 4r. '. talked withdaughter on phone. 3uper#isor called or sitter but no sitter was a#ailable.

%OO " -urses) notes. $t 0=00 " $lert! tearul. 3tates that >e#eryone is trying to kill mebecause ,)m Aewish?. $t 2000 " Datient in bed. "on*used and orgetul. $ll procedures weree*plained o#er and o#er to her but #ery orgetul. 3itter at bedside. $t 2@00 " Datient sleeping.3itter at bedside.

%OO " 6.! 6.4. " -eurology consultation. History obtained rom daughter! medical staand chart. >The patient resides alone at her own home. Her daughter inorms me the patientis able to dress or hersel. 3he is able to eed or hersel. 3he can bathe hersel. 3he cangroom hersel.? >7ith regard to the inances! the daughter has been looking ater the patient)sinances or the past se#eral years. #er the past ew years! the daughter eels the patient ismore orgetul. 3he is able to recognie people but orgets their names. 3he has been ha#ingword"inding diiculty or the past 2 years. 3he has #ery rare hallucinations. Today during thee*amination! while talking to the patient! , asked her about her teeth. 3he has missing teeth.The patient inorms me the teeth ell o and then appeared to walk away. 3he does not ha#eany signiicant delusions. ne occasion was a ew weeks ago the patient commented to herdaughter that somebody was coming into her house who had a key. Howe#er! the daughter inorms me this is not true because only a limited number o people ha#e access to thepatient)s house.? The patient is being ollowed by a psychiatrist. >4uring the e*amination! sheasked se#eral times why , was e*amining her. 3he states >4o you think ,)m an idiot+? 3heappeared #ery an*ious and concerned. >3he was alert and oriented to her name only. 9hewas unable to #rovide the correct year2 month2 day o* the week2 date2 current location2or the city.? >,t was diicult to perorm an accurate motor e*amination because she was notable to ollow commands appropriately.? /T scan on admission was apparently normal.

$ssessmentG most likely a primary cortical dementing illness.

%O:O " J".! 6.4. " ,nitial Dsychiatric /onsultation. The patient has been Fuite agitatedand out o control. 3he apparently has been #ery con*used at times and agitated and diicultto manage on the medical loor. The patient hersel is not a particularly reliable historian.There is a history o dementia o uncertain etiology. 3he is pleasant and cooperati#e in theinter#iew. 3he is! howe#er! con*used with some diiculty in comprehension. 3he e#idencessome paraphasic diiculties in her language. 3he tells repetiti#e stories within a matter o lessthan a minute. 3he is not able to indicate her location! the year! the month. 3he knows herbirthday is coming up soon but thinks she will be


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possible. /ertainly this is desirable i it is easible and the social work sta is working withthem to support this process.? 7ill ad:ust meds. 4iagnosisG dementia! possibly due to primarydegenerati#e process! although she is certainly at risk or #ascular dementia! and may ha#eboth etiologies. rganic delusional disorder! organic mood disorder.

%O:O " -eurologist)s note. Datient has history o* dementia. 7hen she saw me todayasked >are you my cousin+?

%O:O5 " -urses) notes. $t 1200 " patient #ery con*used! attempting to climb out o bed.9nable to redirect. Dlaced in wheelchair to be brought out to nurses) station. Dsych 64 hereto e#aluate. $t 1L00 " patient continues to be con*used and climbing out o bed. Datientan*ious and states she wants to go home. eassurance gi#en. $t 1, also hada long discussion with the daughter that the patient should not be li#ing at home alone aterdischarge. The daughter told me that she would arrange or 2@"hour care gi#ers.? 7henpatient was discharged! home health was ordered. 3ocial work was contacted and met withdaughter who stated she had arranged 2@"hour home care gi#ers or the patient. Datient)sdaughter was ad#ised about ollow"up care ater discharge.

%OFO " 4ischarged. 4iagnosesG senile dementia with delirium!

%OFO " 4ischarge summary orm. Datient con*used! only oriented to sel. $gitatedreFuently. 4r. '. spoke with Edna regarding discharge instructions.

E< = A,,/E+ATE< .E


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4uring the day Edna used a pri#ate company that supplied >sitters? to stay with 4oris. Thiscompany wasn)t #ery reliable! and on two occasions the >sitter? was o#er an hour late!causing problems or the person who spent the night getting to work or on with their own lie.

Edna contacted a #ery good assisted li#ing residence and asked i they had any openings.They said that they thought they might in the near uture. That meant that they thought thatone o their residents was about to die. He or she did in three days. $ day or two later wemo#ed 4oris to D.. which is what ,)ll call the assisted li#ing residence. That was on-o#ember K! 2005.

D.. cost about ;5!000 a month. $ lot o money. 4oris) 3ocial 3ecurity and go#ernmentpension was about ;B!000 a month. Edna was told by a real estate company that the condocould be leased or about ;2!000 a month. 3o i the condo was rented! 4oris) income wouldbe about eFual to the cost o D.. course! there would be additional e*penses! but therewas about ;K0!000 in the interest bearing :oint checking account 4oris had with Edna. Themoney in the checking account was 4oris)! and there or her old age. 'egally! that money wasas much Edna)s as it was 4oris)! because it was a :oint account! but Edna always thought othat money as being 4oris). 7e estimated that there was enough money in the checkingaccount to keep 4oris li#ing well at the upper scale assisted li#ing residence or about twoyears. , 4oris died beore the two years was up! then anything let would be part o Edna)sinheritance! and i 4oris li#ed longer! then there were the #arious /4)s or amily memberswhich could be tapped into as needed or 4oris) support. $ter all! that money was 4oris).

,n order to lease the condo! it had to be emptied o 4oris) possessions. You)d be surprisedhow much >stu? a person can collect o#er thirty years. $lthough 4oris was still ali#e! her 7illhad certain items %china! books! etc.& that she wanted certain amily members to ha#e.

$nything not mentioned was to be Edna)s. 3o Edna called her relati#es and asked them tocome to the condo and take what was to be theirs when 4oris died! and with the e*ception oa ew items! they were ree to take anything else they wanted. The more they took! the easierit would be or Edna to empty the condo so it could be leased.

The person who came o#er most oten and took most o the urniture and >stu? was honda.Edna and , mused that she was probably selling the things she took on ebay. , she was! thatwould be alright with us! since we needed the condo empty! and soon. 4uring one ohonda)s #isits! she told her mother how much money she e*pected to get when 4oris died.This was not #ery thoughtul. Edna told honda that she was wrong! that there was a lot lessmoney in the /4 or 4oris) grandchildren to di#ide among themsel#es than honda wascounting on. honda got angry and demanded to know why. 3he was toldreminded that anumber o years earlier! honda asked 4oris or money to buy a car. 4oris had gi#en her;10!000! and ga#e the others listed as beneiciaries on that /4 the same amount. 3o theoriginal ;50!000 plus interest now amounted to about ;21!000. 3ince there were threebeneiciaries! each would get ;L!000. -ot the ;1=!000 honda thought she)d get! which wasa third o the ;5@!000 she thought was in the /4.


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$ ourth beneiciary was eorge! Edmond)s son. He was gi#en ;10!000! but he returned it.%The male amily gene at work again+& 4oris remo#ed eorge as a beneiciary! since hedidn)t want the money. 4oris) >threat? to disinherit Edmond had precedent.

7hen honda heard she was going to get a lot less than she was counting on! her mouth

dropped open. 3he was shocked. $pparently she thought the ;10!000 each o thegrandchildren were gi#en came out o 4oris) pocketbook! not the grandchildren)s /4. hondagot so upsetangry that she sho#ed her mother. 3o hard that Edna almost ell. Edna said!>-ow you know why , wrote you out o my 7ill.? honda turned on her heels and walked up tome and sho#ed me too! and then she stormed out o the condo.

,t took about three weeks to clear out the condo. Edna had a large chest o drawers mo#ed toher mother)s room at D.. 4oris lo#ed it and asked Edna how much it cost and where shebought it. Edna told her mother that it was the chest o drawers that had been in her bedroomor thirty years. %7atching someone you lo#e deteriorate rom a disease is heartbreaking.&

Edna managed to get the condo leased by the end o 4ecember 2005. The tenant was a realestate agent who worked within walking distance o the condo. To make sure he)d get thecondo! in case there were other people interested! he sweetened the deal by paying twomonths rent in ad#ance! along with a security deposit. He ga#e a check to the real estatecompany or ;=!000. ;1!000 was deducted or the real estate company)s ee! and they ga#eEdna a check or ;L!000! made out to her. Edna deposited this money into the :oint checkingaccount she had with her mother. That brought the balance up to the ;K0!000 , mentionedearlier.

E#erything was under control. 4oris seemed happy in her new >home?. Edna #isited heralmost e#ery day or the irst month! and then she #isited :ust a ew times a week. (or the irsttime in a ew years! we could sleep late on weekends and holidays. -o need to call 4orismornings and e#enings e#ery day. There were plenty o people to keep an eye on her at D..!including nurses on duty 2@ hours a day. Edna did ha#e 4oris) telephone turned o at thecondo and turned on at D..! so she still could call her mother when she wanted! and 4oriscould call her. Cut Edna stopped worrying about 4oris! because she was being well cared or!so she stopped calling her a ew times a day.

Cecause 4oris) hearing was so poor! she needed a special telephone that was supplied bythe 3tate o /aliornia. To get the telephone! a doctor had to contact some 3tate agency andreFuest it. The telephone looked like a standard land line phone! but the telephone companyhad to make some ad:ustments on their end to get it to work. 6y point is that along with 4oris)other ailments! she was almost dea.

ow you can start getting scared.


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The ne*t day Edna and , went to the bank and asked to speak to the manager. 7e were toldthat the manager was not in that day! a 3aturday. 7e talked to the assistant manager! 6s.7haley. Edna let me do most o the talking. , managed to get some inormation. The new /4was in 4oris) name! with honda and her two little boys and Edna as beneiciaries. ,t had atwo year term! it was or ;50!000! and opened on Aanuary B0. 7hen asked how the ;50!000

was mo#ed! 6s. 7haley said that 4oris had to be present ! and that she had the right to mo#ethe money! since the order that Edna must give her #ermission did not co#er the :ointchecking account! but only the /4s. 7e inormed 6s. 7haley that a 4eputy 4istrict $ttorneytold Edna that an order on one account co#ered all the accounts. 6s. 7haley did not arguethis point! but turned to her computer! started typing! and said that she was adding an orderthat no money could be remo#ed rom the :oint checking account unless Edna was physicallypresent. $s or 4oris ha#ing to be physically present or the transer to take place on the B0th!D. .)s sign"out sheet did not show that she let that day. , thought that honda must ha#emanaged to sneak 4oris out a back door without being seen. %-o easy eat since 4oris walks#ery slowly with a walker.&

6s. 7haley was asked to put a reee on the new /4. 3he commented that it was a two year /4! so a reee didn)t seem necessary. , pointed out that i 4oris died in one hour! Ednawould only recei#e one Fuarter o the #alue o the ;50!000 /4! ;12!500. , the money was stillin the :oint checking account! she would recei#e her inheritance o the entire ;50!000 plus the;10!000 that remained in the :oint checking account. $dditionally! , pointed out that the 50!000was not available for Doris’ care! since it is tied up in a /4 and not in a checking account.6s. 7haley e*cused hersel! and returned about i#e minutes later. 3he presumably made aphone call to a superior. 7hen she returned she started typing into her computer! and saidshe was placing an order that no money could be withdrawn rom the new /4 without Edna)spermission. 6s. 7haley suggested that Edna bring in her mother to the bank to undo the new/4. Edna told 6s. 7haley that since her mother is mentally incompetent! she was beingasked to ha#e her incompetent mother sign legal papers! which is what honda had done. , itwas wrong or honda to do this! it would be wrong or Edna to do this. , added that i alawsuit was brought against the bank! Edna would not look good ha#ing done the same illegalthing her daughter had done.

6s. 7haley was asked why none o Edna)s powers o attorney co#ered the new /4. 6s.7haley did not gi#e a meaningul answer. 6s. 7haley had been pre#iously told by Edna thatEdna had a power o attorney drawn by one o 4oris) attorneys when 4oris was competent!but that the bank reused to accept it! so a power o attorney used by the bank was created.6s. 7haley asked i Edna could bring in the other powers o attorney documents on 6onday!since maybe they would allow Edna to ha#e power o attorney o#er the new /4. Edna saidshe)d a* it on 6onday. 6s. 7haley was asked to mo#e the money rom the new /4 toEdna)s new checking account! opened at the suggestion o $na. , said that , the bank didthat! it would a#oid a lawsuit. , also told 6s. 7haley that Edna)s attorneys would probablyinclude in their closing arguments something like! >'adies and entlemen! what happened to4oris and Edna could happen to you! to your mother and ather! and to your children. 3end areally big message to this bank to teach them to take care o their elderly depositors who arementally incompetent! and send a really really big message so that all banks in the countrywould get the message. , know! , know! i the :ury comes in with a :udgment o one hundredmillion dollars! the bank)s lawyers will :ust bribe the :udge and he)ll knock the :udgment down


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4orisG $nyway! two o these goyim. , don)t mean it or an insult. Cut two o themcame and took me downstairs to ha#e dinner.EdnaG Yeah.4orisG 3o they :ust...They didn)t e#en wait or i ,)m ready or i , want to go or...They

:ust came and grabbed me and took me to the restaurant part.

EdnaG 7ell! it was mealtime so they wanted to make sure...4orisG Huh+EdnaG ,t was time or your lunch so they wanted to make sure you got there.


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4orisG osh. 3o tell me. $re you the one who hurt yoursel+EdnaG -o! , didn)t. You keep saying that , ell and hurt mysel. , did not all. , did nothurt mysel. ,)m right here.4orisG 7ell! where did , get all that+EdnaG , don)t know. 7ho told you that+

4orisG , can)t remember now. $nd here ,)m worrying about that.EdnaG There)s nothing to worry about. ,)m perectly okay.4orisG 4id you all+EdnaG -o.4orisG 3o who told me all that+EdnaG , don)t know. 7ho told you+4orisG Cecause , was waiting or some good results rom you.EdnaG , don)t know who would tell you such a lie.4orisG , don)t know. $nd , was waiting down in that thing where you gi#e them moneyor the kids. , was waiting or hours! hoping that you)d come.EdnaG , was here (riday.4orisG (riday.EdnaG Yeah. You asked me did , all and , said no! , didn)t all.4orisG h.EdnaG Then you called in the middle o the night last night and wanted to know i ,)mbetter because , ell. , ,)m better now. $nd , didn)t all. -othing was wrong.4orisG , called you in the middle o the night+ How could , ha#e done that+ , hardlye#er do that.EdnaG 7ell! you did it OchucklingP.4orisG 7ell! , guess , was worried.EdnaG 7ell! don)t worry because ,)m okay. There)s nothing to worry about.4orisG $re you getting along well with your husband+EdnaG 7e are getting along wonderully. That)s the best thing in my lie is mymarriage. 4orisG kay! ,)m glad you told me that.EdnaG , keep telling you that OlaughingP.4orisG You do+EdnaG Yes. OlaughingP That)s another thing you keep worrying about and , keep tellingyou there)s nothing to worry about.4orisG Yeah! well , think that started rom the time that you got to know him.EdnaG That started because your grandchildren don)t like him.4orisG h! is that what it is+EdnaG Yeah. Cut he)s always been wonderul to me and he)s always been wonderul toyou. 3o , don)t know why you should be worried.4orisG 7ill you please tell me what)s going on with my old home+EdnaG ,t)s rented. 7e ha#e a #ery nice tenant. $ #ery nice man. He i*ed it nicely. Hepainted.4orisG How much do we get+EdnaG , don)t get. You get. ,t goes into your bank.


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your bills here and pay your ta*es and pay or your medications...4orisG 3o we ha#e that without...EdnaG $nd honda took it all out. honda took almost all the money out o thataccount.4orisG 3he)s not home.

EdnaG 3he went on #acation with your money! , guess.4orisG 4id you see some stu pasted on...notes+ You can read that. 6aybe you)llsee what)s been happening and it)s a shame. 7ho needs this kind o thing+ osh. $nd, don)t ha#e enough money. , don)t ha#e any money to spend. 4o you realie that+EdnaG You don)t need money here because , pay e#ery month or e#erything.E#erything is paid or.4orisG Cut i , go shopping...EdnaG You don)t go shopping. 7here do you go shopping+4orisG , want to because , ran out o...EdnaG How are you going to go shopping+ $re you going to get in a car and goshopping+4orisG 'isten to me. , don)t know which way you think! but , run short o bread. , runshort o...EdnaG -o! bread is in the dining room.,)d like a snack.? and they)ll gi#e yousomething. They)ll gi#e you a snack. $ll your ood is pro#ided here. , pay or it e#erymonth or them to gi#e you your meals e#ery time.4orisG Cut , don)t ha#e any money in my purse.EdnaG (or what+ 7hat do you need money in your purse or+ -Note: this is an ongoing discussion. / have asked the ad'inistrator at 0acific 1ardens for guidance and she said 2other should not have cash. There is a petty cash fund in the office which / supply fro' which they pay for her hairdresser 'anicure and any incidental e3penses.4orisG , think ,)m a grownup person.EdnaG Cut you don)t ha#e any place to spend it. ,t would :ust be here or somebody tobe tempted to take it. r honda to take more money rom you. %'oudspeaker announcement.&4orisG /an you understand what they said+EdnaG Yeah! they)re ha#ing Tri#ia with 'illian.4orisG They)re ha#ing what+


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EdnaG Tri#ia with 'illian. ,t)s a game they)re ha#ing in the li#ing room. , you want to goto play a game.4orisG -ow+ , was supposed to go to one o those things about a week ago or soand somehow or other , don)t remember whether , canceled it or they canceled it.EdnaG 7ell! they ha#e lots o nice acti#ities and you should be doing some o them.

You should go to these things.4orisG $nd you know the girl who helps me...you know the cleaning up andwhate#er...she and another one dri#e me out o my house here to take me downstairs. ,don)t remember what it was. ,t was probably a thing they want me to be.EdnaG 7ell! they probably had music or a mo#ie or something. They ha#e all kinds oentertainment. They want you to go to these things so you)ll en:oy them.4orisG 7ell! , go where#er they in#ite me. , ne#er say no.EdnaG 7ell! lots o times they tell me you come back to your room and lots o times ,hear rom Terry that they want you to stay and listen to music.4orisG 7hat+EdnaG 'ots o times , hear rom Terry that they want you to stay and listen to music or whate#er is going on and you say! no! you want to go to your room.4orisG 7ho)s Terry+EdnaG Terry is my riend out at the desk. The nice woman who works at the ront deskwho comes in the aternoon and e#ening.4orisG h. h! , know. , like her. , didn)t remember that that was her name.EdnaG Yeah! you like her.4orisG Yeah! , do. , look orward to... ne time we went! a lot o people rom here! wewent to like a concert.EdnaG ood. You should go to those.4orisG 3he)s #ery nice. , like her. , like her a lot. Cut sometimes she doesn)t come.EdnaG 7ell! she doesn)t work e#ery day.4orisG Yeah. This is okay. $nd , don)t know. , :ust eel that , don)t ha#e enough ood.-/ think she is re'e'bering being a little girl in 0oland and being hungry. You keeptelling me that , ha#e enough ood. $nd , keep telling you that , want a piece o ruit or ,want something.EdnaG ,)m going to ask them at the ront desk what to do i you want a piece o ruit. ,think you can :ust go out there and tell them ,)d like a piece o ruit and they)ll gi#e you apiece o ruit. Cecause all o your ood is supposed to be pro#ided here.4orisG , don)t know. , :ust want like to go to a drawer! take out something to eat.EdnaG 7ell! they really don)t want ood to be in the bedrooms because it makes bugscome. 3o they don)t want you to ha#e ood sitting around in the bedroom.4orisG , ne#er heard them say that.EdnaG 7ell! that)s the way it is. They don)t want people ha#ing a lot o ood in their bedrooms.4orisG , , want to go buy something....irst o all...EdnaG 7here are you going to go buy+4orisG Yeah! see. ,t)s not a pri#ate thing or me to go. , ha#e nobody to take me tosome o these grocery stores or something.EdnaG 7ell! you don)t need to go to the grocery store.4orisG , don)t know. , don)t e#en know how to e*plain this to you.EdnaG ,t)s dierent li#ing in your #ery own home. , know that.


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4orisG Yeah.EdnaG This is good or you now. You don)t ha#e to ...4orisG -ow look at that whole thing -pointing to the bed. , don)t do it that way.EdnaG 7ell! they make your bed or you.4orisG , think one o those women who call me. They get into my house here.

-othing is missing. You know.EdnaG -o! they)re cleaning. They make e#erything clean.4orisG ,t)s so dierent. , don)t eel like comortable in some ways. 'ook at that thing.They put two pillows! one on top o the other. , didn)t do that.EdnaG That)s okay. You can take one o i you don)t want it there.4orisG $nd then when , get dressed! they go to the closet and pick out what , shouldwear and it)s so cold. , don)t know. , eel like , don)t ha#e enough enough..., don)t e#enknow how to describe it to you. 6aybe it)s because , li#e alone that , eel like that. Youknow+ 3o. $nd there)s no point in getting someone to li#e with me. , don)t know.EdnaG 7ell! this bedroom is your pri#ate bedroom. Cut there)s people all around. You

:ust ha#e to go out down the hall and there are lots o people or you to be riends with.4orisG -o! they)re mostly goyim.EdnaG -o! they)re mostly Aewish! actually.4orisG , don)t think so. Cut there is not like warmth about it. r not too much. ,t)salmost a part o each house is like that. -ot that , need that kind o riendship. , don)t.Cut , eel so...they go here! they do that. $nd it)s not a perect type thing.EdnaG 7ell! nothing is perect.4orisG The one ... , don)t know. , :ust. 6aybe ,)m too.. And then with our mother!!!she7s in the hos#ital!Edna1 Cho? Cho are you talking about? 6ou kee# saying -our mother3! ,utyou7re my mother and your mother died a long2 long time ago! 9o + don7t knowwho you7re talking about!


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4orisG 4id , tell you beore that+EdnaG Yeah. You keep telling me that , ell and , keep telling you that , didn)t all.4orisG $wwww. Cut , got it rom somewhere. , didn)t in#ent it.EdnaG 7ell! , don)t know who told you that. 7hoe#er it was was lying.4orisG kay. ,)m glad that , mentioned it now.

EdnaG Yeah. You keep mentioning it. Then you call me in the middle o the night to askme.4orisG eally+ h. 7ell! you know what+ ,t)s part o the thing like when you want meto go to a doctor and one o these people in the building here goes.EdnaG Yes! they take you.4orisG Yeah. 3o , don)t know i that makes me eel like ..., don)t know. , don)t know.,t)s strange. , can)t igure it out. ,)m not unhappy and , am unhappy. $nd , think mostlyit)s because , li#e alone.EdnaG 7ell! that)s why you need to get out and be in#ol#ed more with the people andthe acti#ities. You shouldn)t be sitting in your room by yoursel so much. You should beout in the li#ing room and talking to people.4orisG 7ell! , do. , do that. Cut it)s %sigh&. , don)t know. Deople are nice here. $ndthere must be some attitude that , could either throw away or adopt some kind o a...EdnaG You can decide to en:oy e#erything. That)s what we all ha#e to do in lieanyway. 7e can look at problems and :ust think about problems all the time. r we canlook at the good stu and en:oy! en:oy our li#es.4orisG 7ell! you know! ,)#e been calling your phone.EdnaG Yeah! in the middle o the night %laughing&.4orisG , didn)t realie that. Cecause ,)m not up in the middle o the night.-4aretaker co'es in.4orisG This is my daughter./aretakerG Hi.EdnaG Hi./aretakerG , think , met you beore.EdnaG Yeah./aretakerG , was :ust checking up on you.4orisG 7hat+/aretakerG , was :ust checking on you.EdnaG ,sn)t that nice+ 3he came to see i you)re okay.4orisG 3he)s #ery helpul./aretaker ,)ll come back in a little while.4orisG 3he did that %pointing to bed&. , didn)t do that.EdnaG Yeah. 4o you want me to take one o the pillows o there+4orisG Yeah.EdnaG ,)ll put one on the chair.4orisG 3o. , ha#e a lot o clothes in the closet. 6aybe you could take some home.EdnaG -o! you need to ha#e clothes to wear.4orisG Hmmm+EdnaG You need to ha#e clothes to wear.4orisG Too many. Too many.EdnaG -o. You change o. 7ear dierent things dierent days.4orisG , do need some things like ruit! rolls! bagels.


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EdnaG -o! , can)t bring ood here because they don)t want the ood to be in the roomand make ants come.4orisG h.EdnaG 3o they don)t want you to do that. You need to go to the dining room when youwant something to eat. You go or your meals and you go i you want something.

4orisG $nd , ha#e clothes here.EdnaG Yeah! those are or you to wear.4orisG Cut , don)t wear. , don)t need.EdnaG 3o wear them.4orisG Hmmm+EdnaG 7hy don)t you wear them+ %laughing& They)re your clothes! so wear them.4orisG , ha#e clothes in the closet so..EdnaG Yeah! those are your clothes.4orisG , think the whole idea is that , li#e alone.EdnaG $ll right. Cut you are not really alone because you :ust ha#e to open the door and walk out and there are a lot o people around you can talk to and #isit with. , youare in here by yoursel! it)s because you are deciding to do that. Cut you don)t need tobe.4orisG , don)t know.EdnaG You li#ed alone or a long time in your condo.4orisG You mean back home+EdnaG Yeah. You were alone there too.4orisG , was alone! but , wasn)t alone. Cecause the people that , knew , was easywith. 'ike the one who has the grocery store -referring to a neighbor who used toso'eti'es pick up things for her at the 'arket. , had :ust a little while ago one o myriends that always asks me about the cooking. $nd o course! the other one! 3usie! iseasy. Today , got a letter rom the whole religion thing! my Temple! to ask or adonation.EdnaG $ll right. Those things you gi#e to me to take care o.4orisG Hmmm+EdnaG You gi#e me those things to take care o.4orisG h! would you+EdnaG Yes.4orisG 3o when , sometimes , do send something. 3ometimes , don)t.EdnaG , know. , know. Cut , ha#e to take care o it. You don)t take care o it now.4orisG 3o is someone li#ing in where we li#ed+EdnaG Yeah. There)s a #ery nice man li#ing there.4orisG $ amily+EdnaG $ man.4orisG Aust a man+EdnaG Yeah.4orisG 3o what kind o urniture do they ha#e+EdnaG , don)t know. , didn)t see his urniture.4orisG Hmm. 4o you go there on 3undays the way you used to+EdnaG -o. ,t belongs to somebody. , can)t go walking into his apartment.4orisG h. %'aughing.&EdnaG He)s entitled to his pri#acy.


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4orisG Yeah. 3o what kind o rent do they pay+EdnaG ;2!000 a month.4orisG ;2!000 a month+ $nd do you see much o the neighbors+EdnaG -o! because , don)t go there.4orisG You don)t go on 3unday+

EdnaG There)s no reason or me to go there. You)re not there.4orisG , liked that eeling that 3unday eeling. You worked hard at it.EdnaG 7ell! today is 3unday and ,)m here.


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EdnaG They ha#e entertainment e#ery night.4orisG -ow where is your husband now+ ,n the car+EdnaG He)s waiting in the car.4orisG $www. , don)t want ...EdnaG Yeah! ,)m going to go. Cecause , still ha#e work to do at home.

4orisG , don)t want him to be mad at me.EdnaG He won)t be mad at you. Cut , do still ha#e work at home to do.4orisG h. 7hat work+EdnaG , work or another doctor. , bring home work.4orisG 3o how many doctors do you work or+EdnaG Two.4orisG Two+EdnaG ne , go to the oice e#ery day and the other , bring work home! to do at home.4orisG 7hat about your husband+ 7hat does he do during those times+EdnaG He does his work. , do my work.4orisG 7hat does he do+EdnaG He)s a photographer.4orisG h. 4oes he sell it or does he sa#e it+EdnaG Yeah. Coth.4orisG 3o one o these times maybe it would be nice i you in#ited me to your house.r is it not a good idea to do that+EdnaG ,t)s easier or me to come here to see you.4orisG Hmmm+EdnaG ,t)s easier or me to see you here instead o dri#ing back and orth and back andorth.4orisG Yeah! but , don)t know what your house looks like.EdnaG You)#e been there. ,t)s the same as it was the last time you were there.4orisG , ne#er saw your house.EdnaG h! many times. 6any! many times.4orisG , don)t remember e#er coming to your house.EdnaG , know you don)t remember. , know you don)t remember.4orisG -ot that it)s anything #ery important. Cut when you lo#e somebody or careabout somebody! you want to be with them.EdnaG ,)m here.4orisG ,)m happy when you come here. Cut somehow it eels like something ismissing when , don)t see you in your house. 4id you e#er do that through your marriagelie+ 7ith me+EdnaG You came to my house many times.4orisG , don)t know.EdnaG ,)m going to ha#e to go.4orisG Thank you or coming.EdnaG Yeah.4orisG , you come a little more oten! ,)d appreciate it.EdnaG , come as oten as , can. ,)m here se#eral times a week.4orisG $nd it would be nice to go out and ha#e dinner with you! with your husbandand me. ,t makes it a amily type thing! warmer.EdnaG kay.


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End o tape.

9o much *or your background in*ormation!

The ne*t day Edna a*ed the power o attorney reFuested by 6s. 7haley! along with a notereFuesting that the bank replace the money taken by honda. Edna ended the brie note withthe comment that while she waited or a reply! she would begin a search or an appropriatelaw irm should that need arise. $lthough Edna #erbally %in a phone message saying that shewas a*ing the document& reFuested a response rom the bank the same day! she did not getone.

$t the end o the business day! Edna called her attorney riend Cart! who reused to bill her or his eorts to get lawyer 3eymour to >back o?! and asked him i he knew an attorney whocould help her. $ter all! she wasn)t getting anywhere with the bank! and the missing moneywas needed to pay 4oris) bills. Cart said he knew the perect lawyer or her! 4ick! and he)d

call him and ask him to call Edna the ne*t day. Edna had been keeping notes o who shespoke to at the bank and when and what was said! and she told Cart she)d a* it to him. Cartsaid i he thought it was helpul! he)d send it along to 4ick.

Edna got a call rom 4ick the ne*t day. He told her that his law practice specialied inbanking law. He sounded like the DE(E/T lawyer or us. He had read her notes and onlyhad a ew Fuestions. He said he would write a letter and send it that day to the bank!reFuesting that the money be returned to the account it was taken rom. $ter Edna got intouch with 4ick! she inally heard rom the bank manager. 3he told him she couldn)t talk tohim because she had :ust retained a lawyer! and she ga#e the bank manager his contactinormation.

$ ew days later we met with attorney 4ick. 7hile we were there he called the bank manager!and put him on speaker phone! so we could hear their con#ersation. 3ome clarity came romthis con#ersation. Edna also ga#e 4ick a ;@!@00 check or a retainer ee.

%1& Coth the ;150 and the ;50!000 were taken rom the :oint checking account on the sameday! Aanuary 2K! and the new /4 was established that day. The date o Aanuary B0th or thestart o the /4 was due to a problem with the bank)s computer %bank error&.

%2& The manager said he saw 4oris standing in line with honda! and seeing that she waselderly and rail! he took her to a seat and asked what her banking needs were. 4oris said

that her telephone had been shut o! and she needed ;150 to get it turned back on. hondahad ostensibly taken her to the bank to get ;150 cash %or the phone bill&. -ot likely. Aust howwas 4oris going to pay the phone company+ 7hy didn)t honda call her mother! or ask theadministrator o D. . to call her mother! and ask that the bill be paid+ honda later said thatshe used her credit card to pay ;1@1.


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account 4oris had with Edna! and that money was needed or 4oris) care! and that Edna wasworried that someone would take 4oris back to the bank and take more money! and so on thead#ice o $na! #arious /4)s were closed and reopened in Edna)s name...

Aoe told me that by law he)d ha#e to go and check up on 4oris! but he had been to D.. in the

past and knew it was a ine residence. He said that i he didn)t ind any problems! he)d stampthe ile >/losed! ,nconclusi#e?. , said >kay! ine.? Ceore saying goodbye! he ga#e me twotelephone numbers or (ederal agencies to report a bank to! and then said! >Dlease don)t getme in#ol#ed with lawyers.? 7e both giggled.

, told Edna about my con#ersation with Aoe! and she called lawyer 4ick and told him. Thene*t day Edna went to #isit 4oris! and as she passed by the oice at D. .! the administrator!3usan! motioned her in. 3usan told Edna that honda had come by a ew days beore to take4oris out. 3usan told honda that no one was permitted to take 4oris o the premises! on theinstructions o the person with the D$ %Edna&. honda became angry and shouted at 3usan!telling her that the D$ was in#alid and that she was going to ha#e an attorney re#oke it.3usan told honda her beha#ior was not acceptable! and ushered her out o the building.3usan told Edna that she has gi#en an order to the sta that i honda #isits hergrandmother! she is to be monitored. 7hen we got home we ound a certiied letter rom thebank. ,t said that $'' o 4oris) money had been roen by the bank. That included the moneyin /4)s that Edna transerred to her name! and the money in the new /4 4oris had opened.The ew thousand dollars in the new checking account in Edna)s name was not roen. Ednacalled 4ick! who said he had recei#ed that notice rom the bank. ,nterestingly! the date on theletter was the same day the bank manager inally called Edna and she told him she couldn)tspeak to him because she had hired a lawyer. ,t took a while or the bank)s mail room to do itsthing. 4id the bank manager call to tell Edna that the money was being roen! or did hereee the money to retaliate because Edna was speaking to a lawyer+Two days later Edna a*ed numerous bank receipts to 4ick showing that she had beenallowed to mo#e money rom the /4s to the :oint checking account in the past! and also a*edhim copies o emails among amily members. 3he told him he had only one more try to getthe bank to mo#e e#erything back! and then she wanted to end the >negotiations?! andwanted to ile a lawsuit or any money she is out %the ;50!150&! plus money or legal ees! plusmoney or her aggra#ation and money or puniti#e damages. 4ick let us know that was goingto a* a letter asking the bank to mo#e e#erything back %and would a* a copy to us&! andgi#ing them one day to do it. $ter all! Edna and , and 4ick had been asking the bank to dothis or about si* weeks! so the bank had run out o time. 7hen we got the a*! we saw thatthe last paragraph told the bank they had one week to respond. 7e were not happy.

$bout two weeks ater 4ick ga#e the bank one week to mo#e e#erything back! Edna got a a*rom him! saying that he doesn)t think Edna has %much o& a case. 4ick ocused on the bankreporting Edna to $dult Drotecti#e 3er#ices! and pointed out that we don)t know i the bank isthe entityperson which contacted $dult Drotecti#e 3er#ices. , we sue the bank and it turnsout that honda reported Edna! then we would be liable or the bank)s court costs. He alsowrote that it)s Edna)s word against the bank)s! and that a :ury will belie#e the bank. Edna got#ery upset. 7e elt that 4ick was missing the point. The point was not being reported to $dultDrotecti#e 3er#ices! which was a #ery minor point. ur suit would be that the bank allowedsomething to happen that they shouldn)t ha#e! and ha#e reused to simply re#erse things and


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make them right and caused Edna and me a bunch o mental pain and anguish! along withmoney or 4ick.

The letter rom 4ick set both o us o. $ccording to him! all o a sudden we had no case! thatwhat the bank and honda did was :ust ine and dandy! and we were the ones who were in

the wrong. Edna started calling around and tried to ind more out about 4ick. 7hat moti#atedhim to make a 1=0 degree turn+ This wasn)t his attitude when Edna hired him. 3he ound outthat ick)s practice was banking law! but he neglected to tell us that HE


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lawyer. Edna was getting depressed. That)s not her usual state. The doctor she worked orasked what the problem was. 3he said she was ha#ing trouble inding a lawyer who would goup against a bank! and she didn)t know what to do. The doctor told her to call (rank! one ohis goling buddies! who was a lawyer.

3he called (rank! told him what was going on! and he told her to come in and ha#e a chat.3he did. He said he)d ile a lawsuit on her behal. He said 4oris would also ha#e to be suingthe bank! and both would ha#e to sue honda because honda started the whole mess.Edna said okay. He said he)d need a retainer o ;10!000. Edna wrote him a check rom our>old age? money.

$bout a month later the lawsuit was iled. -othing happened or another i#e months. -ocontact with the bank! etc. E*cept! (rank started calling Edna and asking meaninglessFuestions. eally. $ter a ew months o this! and being billed ;200 or each o these calls!and then other ees or >research? and so on! Edna and , added up how much we had paidhim in si* months. ,t came to ;1K!000. $nd he didn)t e#en know the names o the peoplein#ol#ed. He)d ask Edna! >7ho is honda again+? 7e realied we would be broke paying(rank or his nonsense calls! and also paying or 4oris) care! and or our own e*penses...

Edna ired (rank. -ow we had a lawsuit iled! and no lawyer. 7e were in panic mode. Ednacalled a lot o lawyers! and none were interested in taking o#er the case. 7e ound out thatbanks ha#e unlimited resources! and can swamp lawyers with paperwork! and dri#e peoplesuing them into bankruptcy! and a whole bunch o lawyers don)t want any part o any o that.7e also learned that a lot o lawyers worked as counsel or banks as their irst :obs aterpassing the bar! so they were not disposed to suing them. The bank might say >conlict ointerest?.

, suggested to Edna that she start calling her public deender telephone riends rom work!and ask them i they could reer her to a lawyer who might take the case. This!because publicdeenders are usually >kind hearted? and might know a >kind hearted? lawyer. ne did comethrough and ga#e her /arl)s number.

Edna called /arl and told him what was going on. ,t turned out that /arl)s ather had $lheimer)s disease! and he understood what was going on without the need to con#ince himthat we were being ripped o by honda. 7e dropped into his oice. He had gotten thelawsuit that had been iled! and said! >, don)t want to criticie another lawyer)s work! but thislawsuit doesn)t demand that the money be returned to the :oint checking account.? That wasthe whole purpose o the lawsuit 3o we paid ;1K!000 to (rank or what+

/arl told Edna that she had a good case against the bank! and that he could likely pro#eraud! breach o contract and con#ersion %a legal term or thet& all on the part o the bank! inaddition to negligence. 7e didn)t understand how! but he was the lawyer! not us. (urther!since 4oris was incompetent at the time she mo#ed the money! the entire transaction was notlegal and should simply be #oided.

/arl said he)d ha#e to amend the lawsuit! which o course would cost us more money. /arlthen asked i Edna wanted him to handle the case. 7e were desperate and would ha#e been


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happy or any lawyer to take the case. Cut /arl seemed to understand the case! andunderstood what dementia$lheimer)s disease does to someone! and he said it was a goodcase! instead o telling us we had no case and a :ury would belie#e the bank and not Edna! as4ick had said. Edna told /arl she wanted him to be her lawyer. He asked or a retainer o;L!500. olly! he was a bargain compared to (rank8s ;10!000 retainer. Edna wrote him yet

another check rom our old age money.The amended lawsuit was iled. Cy then we)d spent about ;2L!000 or lawyers. 'awsuits in'os $ngeles /ounty are supposed to go to trial in one year. 3o we thought that ater anotheri#e months or /arl to bill us! and then a week or two or the trial! then hopeully our miserywould be o#er. Aust getting the money released and Edna ha#ing access to it would be ablessing.

Cut things didn)t work out that way. The lawyers who didn)t want to go up against a bank hadgood reason.

honda was not only sued by us! but also by the bank. 3imply put! they said it was allhonda)s ault. Cecause she was acting as her own lawyer! and she didn)t know anythingabout the law! %as , suppose you don)t!& she didn)t do some paperwork properly! or get it tothe court in time! so the bank won its case against honda by deault. $ll this meant was thati Edna won money rom the bank! honda would be liable to pay the bank back. Cut sincehonda didn)t ha#e any money...

$t #arious court meetings with the :udge in the case! honda was oten out o control. 3he)dyell and scream and say she didn)t do anything wrong and she should be dropped rom thecase. nce! while , was sitting outside the courtroom! our 3heri)s deputies or 6arshals orwhate#er galloped down the hall and three o them galloped into the courtroom while theourth stood guard outside. 'ess than a minute later honda came running out! ollowed byher two sons! aged our and si*! and shouted to them! >Hurry up or they)ll put you in :ail? 3heand her sons disappeared into an ele#ator and the police went back to where they came rom.

3hortly ater this incident the :udge started pressuring both /arl and the bank lawyers to drophonda rom the case. Coth said that since honda started the whole mess by bringing hergrandmother into the bank! they couldn)t. The :udge said he)d write an order protecting bothsides against any legal all"out i they dropped honda. Coth /arl and the bank lawyers dugtheir heels in and reused to drop honda.

Dossibly to keep honda out o his courtroom! the :udge ga#e a total o ten monthscontinuances %delays& to the bank. This with a strange? honda out o his courtroom! the happier he was. Cut it also ga#ethe bank ten e*tra months to lood us with paperwork! which meant each month there werebills rom /arl or us to pay.

/arl said we should depose a bunch o people! so we)d know what they would say in court!and maybe get inormation which would help us. $ deposition is when a person is askedFuestions under oath by a lawyer. There is no :udge present. Aust the lawyers rom each side!and a court reporter. $ twenty minute deposition could cost ;2!000! and an hour)s depositioncould cost a lot more.


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point in settling the case. 7e)d :ust be back where we started and ha#e to ile a new lawsuitand go through all the same hell again! i 4oris mo#ed the money or ga#e it to honda orsomeone else. $nd apparently $llen was saying that he)d neglect to push the button on hiscomputer to see the screen saying that Edna should be notiied...

7e also ound out that honda had been going to the law oices o the bank and chattingwith the head lawyer or the bank! and with his paralegal! who she)d sometimes go out tolunch with. olly gee! she lost the deault :udgment to the bank! and now she and the bank)slegal department were pals. 7hat was going on! Edna and , wondered. 7hen we deposed

$na! she committed per:ury repeatedly by lying under oath. 3he was caught between a rockand a hard place. 7hile she knew she was supposed to tell the truth! she also wanted to keepher :ob at the bank! so she had to say whate#er was most helpul to the bank. Thus shedenied assisting Edna when she opened new accounts to mo#e 4oris) money to! in order toprotect 4oris) unds rom again being taken. 3he admitted that Edna told her that she neededto protect 4oris) money! but denied that she ad#ised her about a method to do so. 3he alsoadmitted that she put a notice into the bank)s computer saying that Edna should be notiiedand gi#e her permission i 4oris tried to do anything with her money.

Edmond was also deposed. There were some interesting things he said in his testimony. Headmitted that he had been absent rom the amily or a long time and that he regretted it. Hestated that Edna had been taking e*cellent care o their mother and that he admired her morethan anyone else he had e#er met. 7hen asked about any problems between them! he statedthat there were unresolved issues about the disposition of their 'other5s condo and thoseissues would never be resolved . Thus! in eect! he stated that there was no oral agreementregarding the condo since an agreement cannot be based on unresol#ed issues.

$nd the bank deposed Edna. , wasn)t there! but Edna told me about it aterwards. ,t was aterribly stressul e*perience or her. The worst part was ha#ing to talk with the lawyers abouther mother)s declining condition. Edna told me that they had to take se#eral breaks so shecould regain control o hersel and stop crying. ne shocking thing was said to her by thebank)s lawyer ater Edna testiied about the money rom our old age und we used to pay4oris) bills since the bank roe all the accounts. He said that Edna was not legallyresponsible to pay her mother)s bills. Edna was horriied and , was eFually horriied when shetold me about it. 7hat a nice guy that bank lawyer is $ true sweetheart. , suppose he wouldlet his own mother be thrown out on the street when her bills remained unpaid. 7ell! he is alawyer! ater all. 7hat he was really saying was that i the bank lost the lawsuit! the bankwouldn)t ha#e to repay us or the money we used to pay 4oris) bills.

The bank decided to depose 4oris ater a year had passed since the iling o the lawsuit.3ince dementia$lheimer)s disease is a progressi#e disease! deposing 4oris at this stagewouldn)t do much good. eread the tape transcript o Edna)s con#ersation with 4oris about aweek ater the deed was done! and multiply 4oris) conusion by a actor o 100...

3ince 4oris had declined so much! physically as well as mentally! /arl ought to keep 4orisrom being deposed. (inally! /arl and the bank)s lawyers agreed to meet at D.. where shecould be eyeballed by the bank)s lawyers to see i she was in any condition to be deposed.


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$ter about three minutes! /arl and the bank lawyers walked out o D..! and the notion odeposing 4oris was orgotten.

$ter the bank)s lawyers saw and tried to talk with 4oris! they insisted that she be dropped asa plainti rom the lawsuit. $ mentally incapacitated person can)t sue someone. 7ell! that)s

what /arl told us. 3o the lawsuit had to be amended one more time! this time to take 4oris)name o it! so now only Edna was suing the bank and honda.

Time kept passing by! and there was more and more paperwork both coming and going. nein#ol#ed a motion brought by the bank that the :udge had to rule on. ,t was a 6otion or3ummary Audgment! which in short means that the bank asked the :udge to dismiss the casebecause there was nothing to it. The :udge ound ault with the bank)s paperwork! so didn)trule on the 63A. $t that motion the bank)s lawyers told the Audge that they had closed all thee*isting bank accounts which they had pre#iously roen. -ow those accounts weren)t roen!they didn)t e*ist. The bank)s attorneys handed checks to the :udge)s clerk or the total amounto the now none*istent bank accounts. -ow all the money li#ed with the 3uperior /ourt o 'os

$ngeles /ounty.

,n addition to the :udge pressuring the lawyers to drop honda rom the case! he also orderedEdna to sue all o the people listed as beneiciaries on the new /4 4oris opened! ro maybe itwas honda who opened it... Edna asked /arl why! and he said he didn)t know! but maybe itwas to protect the bank i the :udge ruled against them and ordered that the money bereturned to the :oint checking account. r maybe the :udge thought that Edna wouldn)t sue abunch o her relati#es! including her two #ery young grandchildren! and so drop the case.7hen Edmond ound out about the :udge)s order! he spoke to his son! 4ennis! who was alsoa beneiciary on the /4. 4ennis was an $ir (orce 't. /ol.! and he told his ather that i he wase#en named as a deendant in a lawsuit! he)d immediately lose his security clearance andwould immediately be out o the ser#ice. Edmond told Edna this! and she told /arl.3omething had to be done to protect 4ennis) career. /arl had a chat with the :udge. Theyagreed that i all the beneiciaries signed wai#ers! saying that they had no inancial interest inthe new /4! Edna wouldn)t ha#e to sue them. 3o /arl drew up wai#ers or the beneiciaries tosign. $ll signed but honda. $nd she had her two little boys sign their wai#ers. $s , said!honda is strange.

$ll the wai#ers were identical! e*cept or the one or Edmond to sign. $pparently /arldecided at his one meeting with Edmond at Edmond)s deposition that Edmond wasn)t to betrusted. 3o /arl added that Edmond wouldn)t sue Edna or any reason or anything thathappened beore the date Edmond signed the wai#er! and ater. Three portions o the wai#erare below. ,t may be a bit too legalese or you! but you)ll get the gist o itG

! +T +9 P/THE/ 9T+PLATE< ecutors2 administrator and assigns *rom and against any and all claims2agreements2 contracts2 convents2 re#resentation2 obligations2 losses2 liabilities2demands2 and causes o* action which


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D! +t is *urther sti#ulated that


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accounts. 7hen Edna got the check rom the court! which amounted to about ;1@0!000! sheput it into a new bank account at a new bank. -o sense putting it into the bank account shestill had at the bank that irst roe the money and then closed the accounts. They mightreee the new money! or close the account. $t this point! to get the :udge)s ruling! Edna and ,had spent about ;55!000 on legal ees to get back the ;50!150.

$ter Edna inished paying o her mother)s bills! she went to her accountant who did ourta*es and asked him to do an accounting so she)d know how much money her relati#esshould get. $ter all! they were beneiciaries! and then the bank closed the accounts! andEdna had the money! so shouldn)t the original beneiciaries get something+ 3he wanted toind out e*actly how much o 4oris) money was spent or her care! how much money came inrom her 3ocial 3ecurity and pension and rom the rent on the condo! and how much moneywe spent rom our own unds or 4oris) care! how much money we got rom the :udge romtime to time! and how much we spent or the legal ees to get the money back! etc. Thenigure out what proportion o the money we spent should be repaid to us rom the moneyEdmond! honda and the grandchildren would be entitled to. $ter all! why should we be outabout ;LL!000 or 4oris) e*penses and legal ees! or something honda started+ 7e thoughtthat we would eat one"third o the ;LL!000! and the others should also eat one"third eachG%Edmond! rom >his /4?! and the three grandchildren! rom >their /4?&. 3eemed air to us.

The accountant looked at the :udge)s order and 4oris) 7ill and how the check was written toEdna! and said to Edna! >,t)s all yours.? 7e :ust stared at the accountant. He went on to saythat Edna didn)t need an accounting because she knows what she did with the money! sowhy audit hersel+

7e decided we needed a lawyer to tell us what to do. 7e ound an estate attorney! who toldus the same thing the accountant said. $lthough Edna didn)t like Edmond or honda or herson Ephrim! who took honda)s side! she thought they should get something! e#en i shedidn)t ha#e to gi#e them anything. 3o she did her own accounting! and spoke to the estateattorney! and told him how much she was willing to gi#e her brother! son! daughter! and hernephew 4ennis! the $ir (orce oicer. He said that i Edna wanted to oer them money! he)dsend them letters and wai#ers with her oer. The wai#ers said that they wouldn)t sue o#er theestate. He said they were >standard? in estate matters. He ga#e them thirty days to acceptEdna)s oer! and they all had to accept the oer or the oer would be withdrawn. Celow is theletter sent to EdmondG

-


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and Testament o* git? written on the check.

3ince honda! Edmond and Ephrim did not sign the wai#ers they were sent by the estatelawyer! we assumed that some day one or all o them would sue us. 3o each month Ednalogged onto the 'os $ngeles /ounty 3uperior /ourt website and checked to see i we werebeing sued. This cost about ;5 each time she searched! but it seemed worth it to us to be


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reassured that we weren)t being sued. ne day in 2010! when Edna checked the website!she said! >Ce7re being suedG?

=C 9TA/T T= A+"GG

honda! Edmond! Ephrim and honda)s two little children! who were beneiciaries on the new;50!000 /4! are suing us. $nd Edmond is trying to enorce an -oral contract3 to get hal owhat Edna sold their mother)s condo or. %$ctually! it was Edna)s condo! since she was :ointowner with 4oris and then ull owner when 4oris died.&

%1& There is a B00 year old point o law called the >3tatute o (rauds? %>oogle? it& whichstates that all real estate contracts must be in writing. 3ince Edmond! with the help o hisattorney! are suing to enorce an oral real estate contract! right away there)s something wrongwith his case.

%2& emember that Edmond was deposed in the bank lawsuit! and was asked about the

disposition o his mother)s %and sister)s as :oint owner& condominium. He replied that there are>unresol#ed issues? which would >ne#er be resol#ed?. 9nresol#ed issues do not a contractmake. The deposition was taken appro*imately three years ater the >amily gathering? whereEdna and Edmond discussed their mother)s condo in 4oris) kitchen.

Cetween these two points! , don)t know what the Hell his case is about! unless Edmond andhis lawyer assume that since the case is being heard in the legal cesspool o 'os $ngeles/ounty where the lawsuit against the bank took place! Edmond has an e*cellent chance owinning.

There is a second part o the lawsuit! which in#ol#es the money that honda stole. 3he %and

her brother and uncle& apparently eel that she stole it air and sFuare! and so they should getit. Cesides the Audge gi#ing Edna the money that still remained in the possession o the/ourt! 4oris) 7ill said that anything let o#er in her estate was to go to Edna. , the argumentis made that the money gi#en to Edna was to take care o 4oris! then anything let o#er isnow Edna)s! according to 4oris) 7ill. $nd the ($/T is that the :udge ga#e all the money thebank ga#e to the /ourt to Edna... $ter all! the :udge could ha#e gi#en it back to the bank andordered them to reestablish the original accounts as closely as possible! or e#en gi#en it tohonda or Edmond or Ephrim. r to a /onser#ator.

$dditionally! they want the money that would ha#e been theirs i honda hadn)t done herthing. %The money in /4)s owned by 4oris with them as beneiciaries! which were closed by

the bank and gi#en to the court.& , think that Edmond and Ephrim should be suing hondao#er this point! or screwing up their inheritance. 7hat do you think+

Cetween the >oral contract? lawsuit and the >estate? lawsuit! we were being sued or about ;B50!000.

4o keep in mind that lawyers are in business. $nd since they know the law! they are in aposition to manipulate it to their ad#antage. You see! it is customary or a lawyer to contact


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someone he is about to sue and ask to ha#e a chat. This way! he can try to get inormationthat might be helpul to his side beore the person about to be sued can get a lawyer. $lso!the lawyer might ind out things his clients neglected to tell him! such as signed 7ai#ers or apre#ious lawsuit! etc. $nd o course! he might be able to negotiate a settlement. %4oing this!the lawyer would make less money! because there would not be a lawsuit that dragged on

and on.& The lawyer who brought the lawsuit against us did not contact us beore doing so. ,)llreer to him as 6r. 4irt. $ccording to the /ourt)s database! the lawsuit was iled about 2Ldays beore we disco#ered we were being sued. 3ince we were not ser#ed with the lawsuit!Edna %a retired paralegal& decided that the lawyer was trying to get a deault :udgment. Thatmeans i we did not reply to the lawsuit within a set number o days ater it was ser#ed on us!we would automatically lose. 7e decided that the lawyer was going to lie and swear that heser#ed us when he iled the lawsuit! and since we did not reply in the speciied time! we wouldlose and would ha#e to pay those suing us whate#er they sued us or. /ute! says ,. %$nd don8tthink or an instant that what , :ust described doesn8t happen&

The amily members aren)t paying 6r. 4irt. He is what is called a contingency lawyer. Hewon)t charge them anything until he gets a :ury to award his clients money. , that happens!he)ll take about one"third o the award. 3o i he did go ater a deault :udgment! he)d make aast ;11K!000. -ot bad or a month)s work and about a ;@00 lawsuit iling ee. Cy inding outrom the /ourt database we were being sued! and contacting the lawyer asking to be ser#ed!we blew 6r. 4irt)s attempt to make a #ery ast ;11K!000 or so. $t least! that)s the way we seeit.

, you noticed! we are being sued or two completely dierent things! in one lawsuit. 7hy+Cecause i the contingency lawyer iled separate lawsuits! he)d ha#e to pay out o his ownpocket two iling ees. $nd since he wasn)t getting paid anything rom his clients! he didn)twant to take more money out o his pocket than he needed to.

7hy would a lawyer choose to work on a percentage o what he might get+ He)s taking achance. 7ell! some lawyers are gamblers. Taking a case on contingency is a gamble. $lso!they usually ha#e a bunch o cases going on at one time. , he wins big on one! and gets :usta little or a ew others! and nothing or others! he could make a good li#ing. 3ince there arecontingency lawyers! there must be money in it.

Edna got the email address or the lawyer o the /ourt)s database! and we sent him an emailasking to be ser#ed. 7e did not hear rom him or two days! so we sent the email again. $ndagain two days later. $ter a week o trying to be ser#ed the lawsuit! so we)d know why wewere being sued! we did get it by certiied mail. That ga#e us B0 days rom the time we got itto respond. That)s when we ound that we were being sued or about ;B50!000. 7e assumethat it took

kill all the lawyers? (how our schemata's were broken)

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