The Robert Palmer Legal Fund
Donation protected
My name is Jeff Palmer and I am the elder son of Robert Palmer. I love my father, as any normal son would. This money is needed to fight for custody of him as I allege he has been mentally, emotionally, and financially, manipulated by my younger brother, which according to Arizona DES (social services), has reached $500,000 in the few months my father has been with him; his entire life savings. My father has been systematically isolated from family and friends (anyone who might give my father an alternative story). I fear for my father now that Michael is in full control of all of my father’s funds. There are other details I am currently unable to reveal at this time, so I apologize if this appears to give an incomplete story. I have exhausted all other avenues, and for those who know me, being forced to hire a lawyer holds a special bitterness for me. It is unclear if any of my father’s money can be recovered.
My brother knows my financial situation severely limits my ability to fight this. It has been extremely difficult just to come up with the retainer fee. While I do not have a hard figure, agencies I contacted in Arizona estimate that the legal costs could possibly reach $30,000. But direct legal fees aren’t the only expense as I will have to travel from Los Angeles to Flagstaff, as well as some overnight stays. I will stop accepting donations early when the costs are covered. Any donated money not used for this purpose will be given to a charity for elder abuse.
I have always loved my father and treated him the way a father deserves to be treated. I didn’t have him move into my home for any other reason than this is what a son does for his father. I don’t make this request for financial help lightly. I detest having to have my hat in hand and ask for money. But I have no choice. Who wouldn’t fight for their father with every resource available?
Here is a little background:
When my mother was twice hospitalized for most of November and December of 2012, I took care of my father every day. When she was finally sent home for hospice care in January of 2013, I stayed with both my father and mother 24/7 at their home for nearly 3 weeks. I was there the moment she passed on January 19, with my father. Shortly after, my father moved into my home to live with me, my wife, and his only two grandchildren. During all of this time, my younger brother Michael refused to come to my mother’s bed side, stating he was too busy (he was a bartender), indifferent to our pleading.
In January of 2015, my father was to visit Michael in Arizona for two weeks. A week into the trip, my father informed me he had acquired an Arizona ID. A few weeks later, I received a call that he was near my home and he was going to see me. When my wife answered the door, there were two LAPD officers there to make sure my father was allowed to get his belongings. All without any prior notice. My brother had appeared to convince my father that I was no good. When asked as to what I had done to cause this, he replied, “Nothing.”, but refused to answer why he was doing this. My last conversation with him was February 3, 2015, when his bank had called to report possible fraudulent activity but could not reach him directly. Shortly after, he changed his cell phone number. Now anyone who wished to contact my father had to go through Michael.
In July of 2015, DES suspected elder abuse after a call from my father’s bank for, again, possible fraudulent activity. After their visit, they had a strong enough suspicion that my father was unable to make his own decisions that they wanted a psychologist to examine him, but their investigation was halted after my father hired a lawyer, which I suspect was at the behest of Michael. Because there is no physical manifestation of abuse (bruises, malnutrition, etc.), the law prevented DES from taking action. My father then insisted that I had called DES (even though DES made it very clear to Michael I did not make the call), and stated that he was “never going to forgive me” for making the call. He then had a lawyer draw up papers, in essence, disowning me. It’s pretty clear how my father came to believe I made the call.
My brother knows my financial situation severely limits my ability to fight this. It has been extremely difficult just to come up with the retainer fee. While I do not have a hard figure, agencies I contacted in Arizona estimate that the legal costs could possibly reach $30,000. But direct legal fees aren’t the only expense as I will have to travel from Los Angeles to Flagstaff, as well as some overnight stays. I will stop accepting donations early when the costs are covered. Any donated money not used for this purpose will be given to a charity for elder abuse.
I have always loved my father and treated him the way a father deserves to be treated. I didn’t have him move into my home for any other reason than this is what a son does for his father. I don’t make this request for financial help lightly. I detest having to have my hat in hand and ask for money. But I have no choice. Who wouldn’t fight for their father with every resource available?
Here is a little background:
When my mother was twice hospitalized for most of November and December of 2012, I took care of my father every day. When she was finally sent home for hospice care in January of 2013, I stayed with both my father and mother 24/7 at their home for nearly 3 weeks. I was there the moment she passed on January 19, with my father. Shortly after, my father moved into my home to live with me, my wife, and his only two grandchildren. During all of this time, my younger brother Michael refused to come to my mother’s bed side, stating he was too busy (he was a bartender), indifferent to our pleading.
In January of 2015, my father was to visit Michael in Arizona for two weeks. A week into the trip, my father informed me he had acquired an Arizona ID. A few weeks later, I received a call that he was near my home and he was going to see me. When my wife answered the door, there were two LAPD officers there to make sure my father was allowed to get his belongings. All without any prior notice. My brother had appeared to convince my father that I was no good. When asked as to what I had done to cause this, he replied, “Nothing.”, but refused to answer why he was doing this. My last conversation with him was February 3, 2015, when his bank had called to report possible fraudulent activity but could not reach him directly. Shortly after, he changed his cell phone number. Now anyone who wished to contact my father had to go through Michael.
In July of 2015, DES suspected elder abuse after a call from my father’s bank for, again, possible fraudulent activity. After their visit, they had a strong enough suspicion that my father was unable to make his own decisions that they wanted a psychologist to examine him, but their investigation was halted after my father hired a lawyer, which I suspect was at the behest of Michael. Because there is no physical manifestation of abuse (bruises, malnutrition, etc.), the law prevented DES from taking action. My father then insisted that I had called DES (even though DES made it very clear to Michael I did not make the call), and stated that he was “never going to forgive me” for making the call. He then had a lawyer draw up papers, in essence, disowning me. It’s pretty clear how my father came to believe I made the call.
Organizer
Jeff Palmer
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA