HER BODY, MY SELF : What's In It for Michael Schiavo?

American Digest ^ | March 25, 2005 | Vanderleun

[vanderleun]

A SHORT NOTE CONCERNING the financial benefits to Michael Schiavo that will accrue from the death of his wife.

I've seen numerous comments that the money given to Terri following various settlements has been dissipated in paying for hospice care and legal bills over the years. I have no way of knowing how true that is, but I suspect that it is, in the main, the case. I also note that the defenders of the man who now has to rank as the worst husband in America since Bill Clinton never tire of pointing out that "he turned down a million dollars " to transfer Terri's guardianship to the family. Again, I have no way of knowing how true that is, but if he did it was a shrewd move and, as we observe Michael Schiavo in his television appearances, we can see he is a shrewd man.

What I do have some sense of is how much money Michael Schiavo stands to make if, and only if, his wife dies. It is, for a man, with a fresh new wife and two children, substantial. Having worked as an editor for Houghton Mifflin and as a literary agent, I have some the price the publishing and media worlds would put on his story. It will be significantly more than twelve pieces of silver.

The book deal: "HER BODY, MY SELF" by Michael Schiavo can be auctioned to a large group of major publishers within ten days of Terri Schiavo's death. This can be arranged by an canny and shameless agent -- and they are legion -- on the basis of 12 telephone calls, a two-page outline, a ghost writer known to the New York publishing world, and a dog-and-pony show where Michael is flown to New York and trotted around to six to eight editors' offices in a day. The bidding for this book will have a floor of two million dollars. The top offer will be in the range of three to three and a half-million for hardcover and paperback rights. Depending on the agent's feel for the market, translation rights may be added to the mix. Film rights will be held back. After the agent's 15% fee, Michael's take from this will be $2,550,000, less $50,000 paid to the ghost writer.

The film and tv rights for Michael's "story" will probably bring in another 1-3 million dollars depending on a number of factors and will, in this instance, be set in motion before the publication of the book.

Speaking fees: Michael Schiavo's lawyer currently commands $15,000 per speaking engagement, so it is not hard to see that Michael could easily pull down $50,000 per engagement. While you probably won't see him show up at Catholic conventions, he's a natural Keynoter for hundreds of other groups across the country and abroad. In the first year alone he could, given a reasonable calendar, be booked for at least 50 events. His gross fees in the first year would, in that case, come to $2,500,000.

Terri Schiavo is worth six to eight million dollars to Michael Schiavo if, and only if, she's dead. If she continues living nothing happens on the book or movie front because there's no ending. When she dies, it is jackpot time for Michael.

I guess he'll be able to buy that nice house his common-law wife has probably been bugging him about for years. It doesn't take a telepath to imagine the pillow talk at Michael Schiavo's house: "We've got two kids and she's still hanging on! You and that lawyer better get cracking. We've got college to think of and need at least five bedrooms! It's a great time to buy. What's the matter with you? Get me my down payment or I'm out of here. And I'm taking the kids... You said you'd get rid of her years ago and we're still in this dump I never liked..."

If you think the current wife's mind-set doesn't play a roll in the killing of Terri Schiavo, think again. Women with children might like having a husband, but they love real estate and tuition funds more. After all, half of a house is forever.

[the invisib1e hand]

This gets my vote for Title of The Year.

[ColoCdn]

Absolutely wonderful.

I suppose the money pipeline wouldn't materialize if Michael were to somehow have a 'choking' accident and went brain dead would it?

How long would it take a 6'6" piece of crap to dehydrate, anyway?

[demlosers]

The bidding for this book will have a floor of two million dollars. The top offer will be in the range of three to three and a half-million for hardcover and paperback rights...Film rights will be held back.

A book that I will not read and a film I will not watch.

[JeeperFreeper]

We have a winner on Schiavo's motive. Good post.

[syriacus]

[sarcasm] This can't be...the Libs tell us that only the "right-wing, religious zealots"* and conservative politicians are making hay off of Terri's suffering. [/sarcasm]

*Ralph Nader has joined the ranks of the overly-emotional zealots who want to save Terri....
Ralph Nader, Author Wesley Smith...Take any Legal Action Available to let Schiavo Live

[oldcomputerguy]

"We have a winner on Schiavo's motive. Good post."

Much of the same applies to the Schindlers too. This is called preaching to the choir.

[LYSandra]

I only hope he dies before he sees a penny of Terri's money. That would be true justice. His shackup must be a real piece of work-she's a mother and I would think her heart would break for Terri's parents like most of our hearts are breaking watching this horrible event.

[LizardQueen]

A book that I will not read and a film I will not watch.

Same here. And I'll boycott and encourage others to boycott any company that publishes the book or produces the movie.

LQ

[Boardwalk]

Follow the money!

[Honestfreedom]

Has it been documented that there is a life insurance policy? Obviously nobody would have written one, after Terri became disabled and it is hard to believe that they took out a $2 million policy on her when she was 26 and they had no kids and neither of them made big money.

[FBD]

Kate Adamson: who was in a PVS condition contradicts the lie, that it’s “painless to be starved to death"

Recovered “Vegetative State” Patient Kate Adamson Speaks Before Schiavo Rally

“One of the most painful experiences you can imagine." Unable to respond or to indicate awareness, Kate Adamson asserts, “I was just like Terri…but I was alive! I could hear every word. They were saying ‘shall we just not treat her?’...I suffered excruciating misery in silence.”

Struck down in 1995 at the age of thirty-three by a rare double brainstem stroke, Kate, then a mother of two young girls, was completely paralyzed; she was unable even to blink her eyes. Like Terri Schiavo, the medical staff treating her questioned the merit of continuing granting Kate the most basic human right of food and water. "I suffered excruciating misery in silence.”

Kate Adamson’s feeding tube was at one point removed for a full eight days before being reinserted due to the intervention of her husband (also a competent lawyer).

Picture of Kate Adamson: totally paralyzed by a severe double brainstem stroke on June 29, 1995.


This is Kate today (thanks to a loving husband who did not give up on her)

Kate Adamson tells her story HERE: 10 years later with a loving husband's support and years of rehabilitation.

.

---

[Trust but Verify]

Plus $2 mil in life insurance money

Where do you get this information from? That crackpot Randall Terry?

[lonevoice]

Great work! This provides a realistic picture of the monetary benefit that will accrue to Michael Schaivo when Terri dies.

[workerbee]

I would think her heart would break for Terri's parents

Yeah, you'd think. But apparently she's as much a psycho as Michael Schiavo. Did you know the last time her tube was pulled, it was she and her mother who sat watch over Terri, to be sure no one interfered with her "peaceful passing."

[Trust but Verify]

Precisely. Brian Schiavo said there is no life insurnace money. If there is any, I would expect it to be very samll for the reasons you stated. Her age, her income, the absence of children.

[kjenerette]

The court, in 1997 when Michael announced he was 'engaged' should have immediately conducted a guardianship hearing and transfered Terri to State guardianship. Because of this failure, we are in the present situation.

Questions that need to be immediately considered:

(1) Why did Michael choose to 'ignore' her wishes for nearly 7 years until 1997 when he announced he was'engaged' to Jodi Centonze and 'suddenly' remembered the conversation about life support with Terri from years before?

Respondent answer would most likely rationalize that it took that long before Michael Schiavo realized there was 'no hope for recovery...'

(2) However, the 1992 malpractice suit for $20 million was based on the premise/conclusion that Terri would NOT recover and she would require constant medical care for the remainder of her life estimated by Michael Shiavo and his laywers to be 51 years(which is the normal life expectancey)...Where were her WISHES at that time?

(3) The court, in 1997 when Michael announced he was 'engaged' should have immediately conducted a guardianship hearing and transfered Terri to State guardianship, at a minimum because of the obvious conflict of interest on the part of Michael Shiavo.

The court system failed to act at that point, and that is a major factor on why we are at the point we are today.

(4) Guardianship, by law and practice, is determined to be given to that person who is most heavily 'biased' in favor of the disabled person. Under most conditions this would be the spouse. However, most prudent courts, if during the guardianship period, the appointed guardian by circumstances or accident tilts the 'bias' away from the interest of the person so guarded, would conduct an immediate review, and at a minimum, transfer guardianship to the appropriate State agency.

An additional thought, as I presented it to my class at the university yesterday and I posed the question to the students:

If Terri Schiavo's medical condition, feeding tube et al, was exactly the same as it is, age 25, etc. with the single exception that she was not 'mentally' disabled but had all other functions; and she expressed a desire to have the feeding tube removed and wanted to die, what would we do?

Of course the answer is clear, she would not be allowed to make that 'choice' and would be sent for counselling, etc.

Van & Katherine Jenerette

[Fudd Fan]

"How long would it take a 6'6" piece of crap to dehydrate, anyway?"

His heart dried up long ago, just MHO. It's not up to me to comment on his soul.