Having to place a parent under a court supervised conservatorship is never an easy decision to make, but that is exactly what Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon had to petition for last month in regards to her father.
Ms. Witherspoon and her brother went to the Davidson County, Tennessee court to ask that their father be placed under the conservatorship while an investigation into his mental capacity is conducted. This arose under the concern that the father married another woman while still married to their mother. Whom he was separated from, but not divorced from. When their mother learned about this other marriage from the announcements in the newspaper, she asked him about the alleged marriage. He claimed that he did not know the woman he married and did not even remember marrying her.
The judge granted the request, but also sealed the documents and barred the media from attending the hearings. The Tennessean newspaper and a local media news channel have filed a petition to allow the media access to future hearings.
If a loved one is exhibiting behavior that is out of place and does not recall making life changing decisions with family members or others, then a conservatorship may be an option. Please contact an Attorney for Conservatorships with any questions and concerns.
*This blog entry was not written by an Attorney and should not be constituted as professional legal advice.