Dramatic changes are being made in the guardianship system that is supposed to protect our most vulnerable citizens and it all started after a Contact 13 Investigation.
For nearly two years, we've reported on serious problems with the guardianship system. It's supposed to protect people who can't take care of themselves. But we found loved ones isolated from their families, life-savings drained away, homes sold without court approval.
Soon after we started reporting about this exploitation, the Nevada Supreme Court created a commission to study the problem. On Thursday, that commission filed its final report with recommendations to fix the system and encourage law enforcement to pursue criminal investigations in guardianship abuse cases.
The report says court rules and state law must be changed to protect vulnerable people.
Those changes include a permanent Guardianship Commission to address future concerns. The commission also wants lawyers appointed to every person being considered for guardianship and changes in how private guardians are paid.
The final report runs over 200 pages challenging courts, lawmakers and law enforcement to make the needed changes and stem the tide of abuse we've exposed over the last two years.
To read the full report, click here.
