Conservatorship Nightmare - Part 1

HOW IT BEGAN...

Sometimes I say to myself I wish I knew then what I know now…

Thought it might be helpful to share my experience with the conservatorship process from the beginning.  If I had only known!

In December of 2008, I was formally introduced to the woman who single handily destroyed our family.  Even though my brother had been dating/living with this woman for close to three years, I had only met her on two other occasions.  Both times, by accident in a restaurant setting.

I officially met her on a Thursday night, talked to her one on one for about 10 minutes and we exchanged phone numbers.  The next morning she called me crying.  She has just gotten out of a hearing regarding her divorce.  Apparently, her ex-husband was supposed to pay her a significant amount of money as a result of the hearing but something had gone terribly wrong and the judge did not rule in her favor.

She was so distraught.   She was supposed to leave for Disneyland that afternoon with her daughter and they had been looking forward to this trip for weeks.  Her ex-husband was such a terrible father depriving his daughter of this long anticipated outing.  By the way, I have since learned that the “ex” is a GREAT guy!  I also learned that in reality, she was not entitled or due to receive any money as a result of her court hearing that day!  Truth be told, she owed her ex $100,000!

Towards the end of our call, my “new friend” asked me if she could “borrow” $1200.  I felt so sorry for her and her daughter that I agreed.  Upon hearing this, the river of tears quickly subsided and she asked me when she could come by to pick-up the money.

She arrived within an hour, and when I handed her a check for $1200, she told me she preferred cash.  I explained to her that I could not leave my Grandmother in order to go to the bank.  She reluctantly took the check and off to Disneyland she went.

To be continued...

The Devil Wears Ed Hardy

I was surprised to learn the devil doesn't wear Prada after all,
She wears Ed Hardy and the site of her makes my skin crawl.

She hails from the dark side.  I know this for a fact.
Friendly and charming.  I bought right into her phony act.

I should have followed my gut, she seemed to good to be true,
But, my brother called her is girlfriend, what else could I do?

She sounded so convincing, gave  her the benefit of the doubt,
She is brilliant at eliciting pity.  This I have since found out.

She acted so sweet.  Butter could melt in her mouth I thought,
She has done this so many times now.  Will she ever get caught?

She spends hours in front of the mirror blow drying her hair,
Needs to put on her make-up to cover the wear and tear.

Her disguise is so good it is hard to see the evil under the mask,
Her manipulation and lies destroy lives.  Examples?  Just ask.

She derives pleasure in hurting others, revenge consumes her life,
She will NEVER be a DeMARTINI even if he makes her his wife.

Lori Ann DeMartini
March 20, 2011

Lawrence "Larry" Siracusa

Lawrence Siracusa of

Witherspoon & Siracusa

The first time I saw Lawrence “Larry” Siracusa was on the second floor at 400 McAllister Street…San Francisco’s Probate Court.  At the time, I did not know who he was but remember being quite entertained by this hyperactive, dramatic man who was rushing in and out of the courtroom greeting various attorneys and wishing everyone good luck.  He wished my attorney good luck, and he also wished my brother’s attorney good luck.  Good luck, Tom!  Good luck, Emilie!  Odd!  How did this strange man know about my case and why was he wishing everyone good luck?  At the time, I thought he was the court’s good will ambassador.

Based on my experience over the last 18 months, I have found out that Mr. Siracusa is anything but a good will ambassador and that his law firm has a lock on a huge percentage of the probate business in San Francisco.

Earlier today, I went to the court website and did a quick survey.

The first thing I did was determine how many cases are on the Probate calendar for Monday, March 21, 2011…56 cases.  I then went through each case and found out which attorneys are involved.  Lawrence “Larry” Siracusa and his merry band of thieves are involved in 16 of the 56 cases:  35%.  35%!

Just for the fun of it and because I was very curious, I went to lawyers.com and searched for Wills and Estate Planning Law Firms in San Francisco. I also included the immediate area surrounding San Francisco since attorneys from San Mateo County, Marin County, etc. also represent victims of the probate system in San Francisco.  According to lawyers.com, there are 430 such law firms.

Recap:

56 total cases

16 cases to Team Siracusa and

40 cases to the other 429 law firms

UNBELIEVABLE!

Team Siracusa has billed my Grandmother’s Trust over $350,000 for legal and professional fees in just 15 months!  Team Siracusa is also responsible for another $250,000 in expenses bringing the grand total to $600,000.  A staggering $40,000 per month.

In August of 2009, just one month after this case started, Lawrence “Larry” Siracusa negotiated a deal with my attorney.  In a nutshell, Larry told my attorney in an email that if I agreed to mediation, the case would be over…no more litigation…no more legal fees!  I agreed to mediation and the case was dismissed but just six weeks later, Lawrence “Larry” Siracusa and Elizabeth Adler filed the exact same case against me.  They even filed it under the dismissed case number!  I was blown away!

I am currently fighting Team Siracusa and trying to undo some if not all of the damage that has been done.

Lawrence "Larry" Siracusa

My Brother

He cried at night and the role of protector I would assume,
Terrified of those clowns who lived in the closet of his room.

I worried about my brother every single day of my life,
My first priority even after I became a mommy and a wife.

His well being was always my first concern, it's true,
Just wanted him to be happy, it was the least I could do.

Our Dad died when we were so young just 14 and 11
Lives were changed forever when Gary went to Heaven.

The sadness in his eyes broke my heart, haunted my soul,
Taking care and protecting him from harm was my main goal.

Until 18 months ago, I thought he was the one person I could trust,
I always thought that family ties and loyalty were an absolute must.

My brother betrayed me with his horrific lies and disgusting greed,
A brother without a conscience or heart is one that I do not need.

Never thought that life would take this turn and end up like this,
Despite all the hurt he has caused, my brother I truly do miss.

Lori Ann DeMartini
March 19, 2011

A Lifetime of Memories on 11th Avenue

This free slideshow made with Smilebox

Laurel Heights Convalescent Hospital

My Grandmother was terrified by the thought of ever having to live in a nursing home.  For as long as I can remember, I promised her that would never happen and I would always take care of her.

My Grandmother has enough money to pay for 24 hour care in her own home yet the conservators have decided that she will spend the rest of her days in a nursing home.  I have sent many emails to both the conservators and all the attorneys involved in this situation.  I have researched the benefits of in-home care and sent them the information.  Professionals overwhelming recommend in-home care over nursing home care for a patients like my Grandmother.

There is absolutely NO legitimate reason why my Grandmother cannot go home.  The cost of her care at home would be LESS than the $9000 per month being spent at Laurel Heights Convalescent Hospital.

I contacted my Grandmother's only living sister and BEGGED her to intervene.  She never even responded.  I often wonder how she would feel if the roles of the two sisters were reversed and she was the one in the nursing home.  I KNOW my Lala Nora (one of my Grandmother's other sisters who died in March of 2009) would NEVER allow my Grandmother to die in a place like Laurel Heights.  She would have done everything she could to help me and make sure that my Grandmother went home.

FACTS:

Laurel Heights - NO ACCREDITATION
The cost of my Grandmother's care is $300 per day but only $144 of that amount is applied towards her care.  The rest of the daily fee is used for administrative fees at the hospital.

My Grandmother is only tended to 4.83 hours per day.  The rest of the time...19.17 hours...she is left totally alone.

Laurel Heights does not accept Medicare or Medicaid.  They are a private pay facility.  Therefore, they have absolutely NO government reporting requirements! 

My Grandmother has healthcare that is supplemented by Medicare.  If she were at home, her insurance would pay part of the bill.  She has NO insurance coverage at Laurel Heights!

There are days that I am so frustrated and angry by the unfairness of what is happening to my Grandmother that I just want to scream!  Today is one of those days.  Not a good day if you planned on calling me.