Stokes Lawrence represented the daughters of a vulnerable adult (their mother) who wanted us to help them protect their mother and stop financial exploitation and neglect by her spouse. Our work secured a long‑term protection order and established full guardianship and conservatorship to safeguard the clients’ mother’s wellbeing.
A Family’s Call for Support and Safeguards
Our clients were the adult children of an elderly woman experiencing declining health and needing increasing care. When they saw signs of financial instability and interference with their mother’s care by her husband, their stepfather, they stepped in seeking legal protection to ensure her safety and dignity.
The clients had discovered that their mother’s husband had transferred over $500,000 of their mother’s separate assets—funds needed to pay for her long-term care—to a friend under the guise of a “loan” to open a business. At the same time, the husband was obstructing their mother’s access to essential medical support. The family faced an urgent need to halt ongoing financial dissipation and prevent further neglect.
Coordinating Guardianship, Conservatorship & Protection
Working closely with the family, we filed a Vulnerable Adult Protection Order petition alleging financial exploitation and neglect based on the $500,000 loan, other use of funds, and failure to facilitate needed health care, among other issues. The matter proceeded through a contested trial, where we demonstrated extensive asset dissipation and interference with care. In parallel, we initiated a guardianship and conservatorship action to secure long-term protection of the vulnerable adult’s well-being and finances.
Lasting Protection Through Skilled Advocacy
After the trial, the court entered a one-year protection order against the spouse, including financial restraints and findings of both neglect and financial exploitation. Our clients were appointed full guardians, with a certified professional guardian appointed as conservator. We also successfully defended against the spouse’s motions for reconsideration and revision—prevailing at every stage of his repeated, unsuccessful motion practice, while securing fees and costs for our clients at each juncture.
This outcome ensured the vulnerable adult’s safety, restored control of financial resources, and established a stable long-term care framework for the family.
