The OC probate mafia sets its sights on Gustave Verdult's multi-million-dollar property
His never-ending "temporary" conservatorship
The end game in the never-ending temporary conservatorship which continues to play out in the Orange County, California probate system may have finally revealed itself in a recent court filing.
On March 6, 2023, Tim Hanly submitted a petition with a name so long that only a screenshot is appropriate.
On the surface, this is a simple five-page document which asks for reimbursement of fees which Hanly claims he’s owed.
Hanly deserves none of it, and while he may have been petitioning the court to get paid, I read this petition as a confession.
Hanly is the court appointed attorney for Gustave Verdult, and since March 13, 2019, Gustave has been in a temporary conservatorship.
Gustave’s daughter, Rita King, participated in a protest outside the Orange County, CA courthouse to talk about how it’s nearly five years in a “temporary conservatorship.”
Hanly has been Gustave’s court appointed attorney since the beginning.
That means that for two and a half years, Hanly has allowed his client to continue to rot in a temporary conservatorship for no good reason.
California law requires that temporary conservatorships end after sixty days.
Hanly has done nothing to end it; in fact, Rita tells me that he is partially responsible for dragging it out.
Rita has told me on several occasions that she’s not sure why everyone continues to do this because her father has no money left.
That’s not totally accurate; according to Hanly’s March 2023 petition, Gustave still had $50,000 left in cash, but Rita is certain that’s gone as well.
So, why would blood sucking lawyers like Good Ole Timmy Boy want to deprive Gustave of his liberty if there’s no money left?
Because there’s something left which is nearly as good as money.
Gustavo has a piece of property in Laguna Beach which Good Ole Timmy Boy, in his petition, values at between $4,000,000-$5,000,000.
Good Ole Timmy Boy is confident that Gustave can continue to pay for his and his friend’s fees with all that equity in the property. Good Ole Timmy Boy is so confident that he is willing to put a lien on the property to recover his fees.
I’m no real estate expert however the lien Good Ole Timmy Boy wants to create is worthless until the property is sold.
I don’t think he’d be so willing to create this lien if that’s not the plan.
No one has suggested selling it yet- at least not in writing- but this is a pattern with the OC probate mafia. Let’s see what Wayne Dolcefino found in Marty Adair’s estate.
“Once lawyers had a doctor to say Marty had dementia, the plans to sell her property began. The lawyers and realtors tried to sell it for millions less than it was really worth,” Wayne said in the report.
Wayne found that the first claim was that Marty’s property, The American Way Cultural Center, was worth $3 million. It was eventually sold for $16 million, which is still millions less than what her family believes the property is worth.
So, it’s no surprise that Gustave’s property is also valued at much more than the $5 million that Good Ole Timmy Boy says it is.
The property needs over a million dollars’ worth of repairs- though that’s already been budgeted in- but once those are completed, the property is worth over $7 million, according to one appraisal.
{The home remodeling is ongoing.}
Another appraisal puts the value at $5.3 million.
For more than six months, all parties concerned have been working on a settlement. The family members want to settle and end this never-ending “temporary” conservatorship. Three people in particular are standing in the way: Good Ole Timmy Boy, Rod Stern {the guardian ad litem}, and Kaylee Sauvey, an attorney representing some of the court appointees.
Their resistance was on full display during a hearing I recently observed in July 2023.
“There is a settlement right now that has been waiting for Mr. Stern’s and Mr. Hanly’s {cooperation} for months. They are not cooperating. We are asking for two things. I am asking for Mr. Stern’s- and that’s a global settlement would take all this away- the family wants this over with. I’m asking for Mr. Stern’s billing because part of the settlement Mr. Stern is asking me ‘how will I take care of my father for the remainder of his life.’” Rita noted during the hearing. “I have to know what my dad’s financial status is to plan and give that report to Mr. Stern. We have been trying for years- myself and my previous attorneys- to get Mr. Stern’s billing. We’ve not seen a single bill in five years. This has come up last hearing. It’s been communicated in emails. We’re not seen a response. He will not respond.
“The other thing I’m waiting for is the temporary trustee- interim trustee- Mr. Hempen, took out a $3.3 million loan against my father’s trust property, which Mr. Hanly says is only worth $4 million. With approximate $800- $1 million in legal fees, I have to know what my dad’s standing is, financially, and I asked to see the loan docs to ensure they were all in order.”
I sent emails to Stern, Hanly, and Sauvey, about this, and Sauvey sent me this email.
The Evidence Code provides that settlement discussions are confidential, thus, I will not be discussing this with any non-parties to this case.
I asked Ms. Sauvey a follow-up question about why a temporary conservatorship has lasted for going on five years, but she declined to respond to that.
Ms. Sauvey did talk about the settlement discussions during the July hearing.
“I just want to make it clear that historically. Right now, Ms. King is making allegations that there’s no sign of cooperation, that everything that she’s saying is being ignored, and historically, when I operate in good faith and communicate with her. All I get in response is moving the marker.” Sauvey said in the hearing. “So, it’s like, when I engage in settlement discussions, initially with the other parties on this case, it was, ‘ok, let’s get a settlement going.’ Once we sent the draft out, it’s like, ‘we need all the other things.’ She has a tendency to do this, and I have felt like I don’t want to be disclosing information {that} I don’t think she’s entitled to.”
Ms. Sauvey didn’t provide any evidence of any of her allegations, but there is an even more important point here. This occurred at approximately twelve minutes of the hearing video above.
This moment created an opportunity for the judge, David “Waste of Space” Belz, to help clear up any remaining issues.
After all, Rita made two specific points which she said were holding up the settlement. Kaylee claimed that Rita moves the goalposts upon getting a resolution.
Belz could have gotten a commitment from Rita that she would not ask for any more information beyond the two items she cited. In fact, he could have found out if the settlement really is that close.
He didn’t do that. He moved on to other matters quickly.
He doesn’t want a settlement, and neither do most of the attorneys involved: there’s millions in real estate still left to be looted.
Postscript:
Check out the previous articles on the series on Orange County. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8. Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25. Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38, and Part 39.
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