CALIFORNIA PROBATE CENTER

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How A Conservatorship Could Help Someone Like Charlie Sheen

Posted on | March 30, 2011 | No Comments

When people such as Charlie Sheen and Brittany Spears, who are both famous and wealthy, go through difficult personal times they are often easily taken advantage of by others around them. It is during vulnerable times like these that people are often better protected if a conservatorship is in place. Conservatorships are created under the law, often by a judge, when it is found that a person in unable to make important decisions for themselves such as financial dealings and healthcare decisions. Two kinds of conservatorships exist, one is a conservatorship of the estate of the vulnerable person and the other is a conservatorship of the person themselves. Often, one trusted person will be appointed the conservator over both the estate and the person at risk. Two examples of celebrities who both went through, or are going through difficult times are Charlie Sheen and in the past Brittany Spears.

The most recent example is that of Carlos Irwin Estevez, or better known by his stage name as Charlie Sheen. Throughout the years Charlie Sheen has experienced challenges with both substance abuse and engaging in illegal acts with prostitutes. Last November, 2010 Charlie Sheen filed an extortion lawsuit against a female pornography star named Christina Walsh, aka Capri Anderson. Christina Walsh alleged that Charlie Sheen had tried to choke her during a meltdown that he allegedly had last October, 2010 in a New York hotel room. Charlie Sheen then filed an extortion lawsuit in response which alleged that she had demanded both $1,000,000 to keep quiet and that she is working as an illegal prostitute.

Over the last six months Charlie Sheen’s self destructive habits seem to have come to a crashing bottom. There have been numerous detailed news stories revealing both his extreme crack-cocaine abuse and elicit relationships with different female pornography stars and prostitutes. All of these issues seemed to explode last January when Charlie Sheen went on an alleged cocaine bender that landed him in the hospital when he started to experience extreme stomach pains. After this trip to the hospital Charlie Sheen finally checked into a non-disclosed rehabilitation center in early last February. During this entire self-destructive rampage Charlie Sheen had different female pornography stars and prostitutes around him allegedly manipulating his finances. There were times when Charlie was paying these women thousands of dollars per night and even buying them over the top gifts like cars.

Charlie Sheen is an ideal example of when someone would benefit by having a conservatorship in place during a difficult time. If he had someone that he trusted in charge of his money during this chaotic time (a conservator), he would have been protected from those around him who were unduly influencing him by taking his money. A conservator of his estate would have the responsibility of protecting his income and property, managing his finances, ensuring all of his bills are paid and that no one else would have access to extorting money from him. A conservator of his estate would also be obligated to provide the court with regular financial reports of the state of his financial accounts. This ensures that even the conservator of an estate is held accountable to their duties.

Another option is to have a conservator of the person elected as well. A court will often elect both a conservator of the estate and a conservator of the person to make sure that both the financial and health interests of the vulnerable person are protected. Both of these positions can be held by different people, or can be held by the same person depending on what the court feels is in the best interest of the vulnerable person. In Charlie’s case a conservator for him as a person would be best as well. This is because he is now going through severe health problems due to his extreme substance abuse and having a conservator would ensure that his medical wishes are respected as well.

No matter what the status of a person, anyone can be at risk of being taken advantage of during difficult times. Difficult times may be a drug addiction or a case of Alzheimer’s. To be properly protected it is smart to ensure that both you and your finances will be handled by someone that you trust if the unfortunate should occur. You can do this by writing advance directives for medical and financial decisions in something like a will or trust. However, if the worst should occur and no advance directives are recorded, a loved one can petition the court for a conservatorship to ensure that both you and your estate are properly protected.

- Marissa Sirota

Category: Conservatorships
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