This one's been all over my FaceBook friends, not to mention EQCA posting it. The outrage is, well, appropriate, given what happened. People (including me) are writing to media and elected reps. They may be in what used to be barbara Boxer's congressional district (there are two that cover Sonoma County, so I don't know if they were in her part or not).
Please, gods, let this be the case that finally brings some action on this, so no one ever has to go through it again.
I've got a friend in CA, who had to deal with more "minor" versions of this.
She had a properly registered domestic partner. The partner died.
Not long after, a sheriff's deputy showed up with an order to collect her partner's stuff. Seems the partner's (very estranged) family had filed paperwork to collect her things after she died.
Under CA law, they had no right to do so, without a will her possessions went to the partner, just like property of a spouse goes to a surviving spouse.
My friend realized that the request was likely the family doing it to spite her they hadn't liked her much). But she also determined from a few questions that the deputy didn't have a clue about the law regarding domestic partners.
So she lied thru her teeth and claimed everything was hers.
If she hadn't he'd have taken the stuff and she'd had to have filed suit to get it back. And I'm sure you can guess the odds of it being *possible* to get any of the stuff back by the time the case came to trial.
She did eventually get the relevant authorities somewhat clued in as to the fact that they were breaking several laws in accepting the request from the family and sending the deputy.
But hopefully this case will raise awareness across the state and put an end ignorant folks ignoring the rules. And teach the bigots (which this case almost *had* to be) that gays and other folks have rights and violating them will be *very* expensive.
I read the post and was getting disgusted by it each moment I read it. And this is in California where there are better gay rights than most states, People need to read the advance directive and follow it to the letter.
I too am pissed!
Mistress Cayenne!
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-04-19 06:53 am (UTC)Please, gods, let this be the case that finally brings some action on this, so no one ever has to go through it again.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-19 09:19 am (UTC)She had a properly registered domestic partner. The partner died.
Not long after, a sheriff's deputy showed up with an order to collect her partner's stuff. Seems the partner's (very estranged) family had filed paperwork to collect her things after she died.
Under CA law, they had no right to do so, without a will her possessions went to the partner, just like property of a spouse goes to a surviving spouse.
My friend realized that the request was likely the family doing it to spite her they hadn't liked her much). But she also determined from a few questions that the deputy didn't have a clue about the law regarding domestic partners.
So she lied thru her teeth and claimed everything was hers.
If she hadn't he'd have taken the stuff and she'd had to have filed suit to get it back. And I'm sure you can guess the odds of it being *possible* to get any of the stuff back by the time the case came to trial.
She did eventually get the relevant authorities somewhat clued in as to the fact that they were breaking several laws in accepting the request from the family and sending the deputy.
But hopefully this case will raise awareness across the state and put an end ignorant folks ignoring the rules. And teach the bigots (which this case almost *had* to be) that gays and other folks have rights and violating them will be *very* expensive.
This is more than stupid!
Date: 2010-04-20 08:02 am (UTC)