On February 25, 2021, there was a status hearing on the Dr. Lillie Sykes White guardianship case in front of Judge Terence R. Perkins of the Flagler County Court in the seventh judicial circuit of Florida. Conducted via Zoom, upwards of forty elder justice advocates and family members witnessed the proceedings much to the surprise of the judge and attorneys. All previous hearings were closed to the public. The optics were interesting: at least eight White attorneys preying on the over $4 mil...
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Florida
Press Release: Advocates Petition For Department Of Justice And Senate Special Committee On Aging To Investigate Predatory Guardianships
PRESS RELEASE
ADVOCATES PETITION FOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING TO INVESTIGATE PREDATORY GUARDIANSHIP INDUSTRY
Calls for more aggressive prosecution and the acceleration of federal reform
March 3, 2021 – Flagler County, FL - The number one Netflix movie this past week was I Care a Lot and its star Rosamund Pike just won a Golden Globe. The fictional film exposes exploitative aspects of the guardianship industry which may give you chills, but the real-life...
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Guardian Waits 12 Days To Tell Family Of Lillie’s Death [Media]
DELAND, FL. - Retired educator Dr. Lillie Sykes White died on Dec. 31. 2020 and her guardian waited 12 days to tell her sister and niece. The family is calling the Florida guardianship “a civil rights violation." On January 22, 2021, Adam Walser from ABC Action News Tampa Bay reported on the new developments.
Watch the WFTS piece: https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/the-price-of-protection/guardian-waits-14-days-to-inform-family-members-of-their-loved-ones-covi...
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Press Release: Dr. Lillie Sykes White Dies Under Guardianship Without Loved Ones Knowing After Four Years In Lockdown
PRESS RELEASE
DR. LILLIE SYKES WHITE DIES UNDER GUARDIANSHIP WITHOUT LOVED ONES KNOWING AFTER FOUR YEARS IN LOCKDOWN
Florida case reveals the cruelty of unchecked power to isolate and exploit seniors in secrecy and under the guise of "protecting" them
January 14, 2021 - DeLand, FL - After eight years of being attacked under a fraudulent guardianship and four years locked away from her loved ones, Dr. Lillie Sykes White died alone on December 31, 2020 at the age of 92. Her 85-year-old sister an...
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Death By Guardianship [Video]
After eight years of being attacked under a fraudulent guardianship and four years locked away from her loved ones, Dr. Lillie Sykes White died alone on December 31, 2020 at the age of 92. Her 85-year-old sister and upwards of fifty nieces and nephews were not told of her death at the time.
This case, which is considered one of the most egregious in the country, reveals the cruelty of unchecked power to isolate and exploit seniors in secrecy and under the guise of "protecting" them. In this vi...
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Florida Continues To Fail Seniors [Media]
TALLAHASSEE, FL. - Florida continues to fall short on protecting seniors from the predatory guardianship system. Instead, it seems like the Florida Department of Elder Affairs has a mandate to protect rogue guardians versus the elderly. The state continues to allow professional guardians who violate state law to practice. On July 23, 2020, Adam Walser from ABC Action News Tampa Bay reported on their investigation, which included the Lillie Sykes White case.
Watch the WFTS piece: https://www.a...
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I Can’t Breathe For Aunt Lillie [Video]
If two months in lockdown due to COVID-19 was driving you stir crazy, how would you feel after FOUR YEARS in lockdown?
As of the filming of this video, Lillie has been in forced isolation away from her chosen family for 1403 days. It is simply inhumane. The attorneys that are spending down her estate are keeping her tucked away like property. Even with the global pandemic, they don't feel it's necessary to update her family regarding her wellbeing. They are treating her like a slave in "the ...
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Advocacy Efforts Gets Covered By Florida News [Media]
TALLAHASSEE, FL. - The Elder Dignity advocacy efforts this week made it on the 5 o'clock news in Florida.
I flew to Tallahassee from New York on January 28th to speak at the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting re: SB 944 on guardianship. A handful of advocates traveled hundreds of miles to share their voices and concerns.
The next day, a number of us did a media interview with Mike Vasilinda of Capitol News Service. Afterwards, fellow advocate Doug Franks and I staged an impromptu protest that...
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Meeting With Secretary After Impromptu Protest
TALLAHASSEE, FL. - Florida's guardianship system is terribly broken and it took a slightly rogue move--which ended up making the 5 o'clock news--to finally get a meeting with leadership.
After an interview with Mike Vasilinda of Capitol News Service, the day's schedule was fairly open. Our team of advocates, who had driven from across Florida to participate in the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on January 28th, was dispersing to head home. Fellow advocate Doug Franks and I were the only tw...
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Elder Advocates Speak Up in Tallahassee [Video]
Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy speaking at the Senate Committee on Judiciary in Tallahassee, FL - January 28, 2020
TALLAHASSEE, FL. - Elder justice advocates in Florida and across the country traveled hundreds of miles to Tallahassee to speak for just one or two minutes at the Senate Committee on Judiciary meeting on Tuesday, January 28, 2020. State Senator Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, sponsored SB 994 to increase protections for seniors under guardianship. The bill passed by a vote of 6 to 0.
Advo...
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