When we hear of conservatorship in conjunction with celebrities, we often think of the highly publicized breakdown of Britney Spears, when she shaved her head and was placed on 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold before a court made her father her conservator. Not every conservatorship is placed because an over-indulged rock star spirals into addiction or loses touch with reality, though. Most are placed for much more ordinary reasons--like an aging parent can no longer care for himself or herself.
Such is the case with legendary DJ Casey Kasem, who is said to suffer from Lewy body disease or Parkinson's dementia. Still, it wouldn't be Hollywood without drama.
Last fall, Kasem's daughter Kerri Kasem and her husband Jamil Aboulhosn filed a petition for conservatorship of the 82-year-old man. They said that even though Casey Kasem gave Kerri power of attorney over his medical affairs in 2007, his wife Jean Kasem began preventing his children from any contact with their father. Kerri said that without court intervention and conservatorship over her father and his estate, she would be unable to exercise the power of attorney to make decisions about his health and the treatment of his Parkinson's disease and related dementia.
Casey Kasem's son, Mouner Kasem, said of the situation, "There is no communication between Jean and us and his daughters. We have no knowledge of how he is, what he's doing, if he's better, if he's worse, and we're scared that we'll never see him again."
On Monday, a judge awarded temporary conservatorship of Casey Kasem to his daughter Kerri until a June 20 hearing to determine whether the conservatorship should be made permanent. She was given conservatorship after her father was checked out of a nursing home and Jean Kasem's attorney admitted that he did not know where the man was. The judge ordered that Casey Kasem's whereabouts be disclosed immediately. A missing person's report was filed and Jean and Casey Kasem were found "on vacation" in Washington state. Law enforcement said that Kasem was not in distress and that he appeared to be doing well. His children are requesting his return to Los Angeles.
Kerri Kasem says she does not understand her stepmother's decision to isolate her father from his family and friends, especially since she believes that socialization would slow the deterioration of his medical condition. She said that she thinks Jean Kasem is concerned that the man's children are simply out to get his money and his estate. Kerri disputes that claim, saying, "My dad told us a long time ago we were not in the will, and we're OK with that. We've known that for years. I've never asked him for anything, nor have I asked Jean for anything." She continued, "As I've said all along, we're not going to contest the will. We're all successful enough on our own. She can take the house. We just want our dad back."
A Forbes article addressing the Kasem family drama indicates that while the scenario seems unusual, similar situations play out every day in family court:
"While the apparent kidnapping of an 82-year old father seems bizarre, the sad reality is that family battles over the care and control of an elderly loved one are far more common than most people realize.And yes, kidnappings of seniors involved in guardianship and conservatorship cases happen ... even in non-celebrity families. . . . Taking away and isolating a vulnerable elderly adult is a form of elder abuse."
Oklahoma law allows guardianship of vulnerable adults and specifies an order of preference in naming guardians of a person and/or his or her estate. Learn more.
