More Art Than Science: Incapacity Findings Prone To Abuse By
Cara Bayles | July 11, 2021, 8:02 PM EDT
The conservatorship of pop star Britney Spears has drawn fresh criticism to incapacity a designation that s part medical diagnosis, part legal determination, and can strip people of their rights to make their own financial and health care decisions. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
In the summer of 2018, four years into his guardianship, Doug Keegan kept breaking into his own house. He walked eight miles from his senior living facility to retrieve his bicycle from his Orlando home. He rode back to get suits to wear to his court hearings. He was also trying, he told Law360, to reestablish his residency there.
Florida judge ends 7-year guardianship of man living independently in hotel
Psychiatrist says diagnosis was wrong
After trying to get his rights restored for years, Doug Keegan finally prevailed and is speaking out about what he considers serious flaws in Floridaâs court-appointed guardianship system.
and last updated 2021-05-10 10:41:40-04
ORLANDO, Fla. â A retired engineer who spent seven years in guardianship after being diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia has had all his rights restored by a judge who found no evidence he âlacks the capacity to make his own decisions and care for himself.â
A different judge determined Doug Keegan was incapacitated, stripped away his rights and put him under the care of a professional guardian in 2014.