On January 27, 2023, the Supreme Court of Iowa issued an opinion in the matter of Richard Grout as Trustee of the Helen Schardein 2018 Revocable Trust v. Dan R. Sickels (No. 21-0556). In the Spring of 2014, Helen Schardein, who was in her nineties, purchased a lake lot at Sun Valley Lake for $85,000.00 and titled it in joint tenancy with right of survivorship, with Dan R. Sickels, who provided various services to her. Helen had worked as a real estate broker and abstractor. Dan met Helen in 2012, and performed work on Helen’s rental properties and assisted her
More Legal News & Information... →Last month I discussed in detail Living Will documents which are used to insure the rights and desires of terminally ill or comatose individuals are honored. This month I will focus on Powers of Attorney for Health Care Decisions and how they work with Living Wills. If a person is unable to make health care decisions and does not have a Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions, it is necessary to file a Petition for Appointment of Guardian with the Iowa District Court to appoint a Guardian to make health care decisions and decisions as to where the individual
More Legal News & Information... →