Justice For Patricia

My family has exhausted all of our savings on court costs and attorneys fees for close to a decade with no end in sight to save Patricia from the broken guardianship system in Texas that has allowed her to be isolated after years of abuse.

Our first true hearing in Louisiana is set for late February and we desperately need to raise funds for depositions, subpoenas and countless other legal fees that will incur. Patricia will also need progressive therapy in the foreseeable future after years of being isolated and institutionalized.

We need your support in order to win this battle and expose the horrific dysfunction of this guardianship system.

Any friends or family attempting to visit, contact or obtain an update of her physical well-being are told she does not exist in the Ringgold, Louisiana facility. Patricia has not been allowed support of any kind in close to two years. She is essentially being held hostage due to the negligence of the Texas court system and her named third party guardian.

An excerpt from The Texas Observer article written about Patricia’s specific case published in 2016 that can be read in full on the link below:

“What makes Patricia’s case remarkable, and what has worried advocates and legal experts consulted by the Observer, is how long it has dragged on without a ruling. An ordeal that, by law, should have typically lasted just two months remains unresolved after three years. Additionally, by neglecting basic safeguards, a handful of judges and lawyers in East Texas have effectively given Darrell unchecked control over his wife’s affairs, leaving Patricia’s family to vainly search for help outside the courts.“

My sister Patricia, originally a native of Louisiana and beloved school teacher of 14 years moved to Texas with her husband after they married in 2005. After untold years of abuse, isolation and the utter negligence of the Texas legal system, Patricia, named a ward of the court, continues to be a victim of grave injustice and stripped of her civil rights.

Patricia is a mother of two as well and her children are also victims. As they have been unable to see or know their mother. She has been fully robbed of relationships with them and their childhood.

Since April 2021 the court appointed a third party guardian backed by a Texas judge that has allowed my sister to be isolated in a facility as a Jane Doe. The Harrison County Texas judge continues to refuse to relinquish the case to the rightful venue of Louisiana.

Patricia has resided here in Louisiana since 2016, over six years. The legal quagmire has created an extremely convoluted confinement that most professionals have no ability to assist or comprehend.

I have been writing letters and desperately reaching out to everyone from the Department of Family and Protective services, Texas Disability Rights, The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Court Administration, ACLU, Texas Legal Aid, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Harrison County DAs office, the Texas Attorney General and the list goes on. We have had no reprieve.

For the full story please see the link below written and published by investigative journalist PATRICK MICHELS in THE TEXAS OBSERVER close to six years ago.

https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-guardianship-neglect/

Please share with whomever you believe could impact this dire case.