Money for Terri Went to Attorneys, Michael

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/3/27/85512.shtml ^ | March 27, 2005

[Maria S]

According to the Associated Press, Michael Schiavo sued medical professionals who he said failed to recognize symptoms that caused his wife's heart to stop beating, causing her brain damage. As a result, he won a $1.2 million settlement. At the time, Michael sought the funds with the promise to use the money for Terri Schiavo's care and rehabilitation. As part of the settlement, Michael Schiavo received $300,000, the rest being earmarked for Terri's care and rehabilitation. His attorneys say today most of the money designated for Terri is gone, spent on her care and legal bills. One of his lawyers, Deborah Bushnell, told the AP that more than half of the $700,000 designated from the malpractice award for Terri's care has been spent for that purpose, with the rest going toward litigation. But that statement is at odds with records that show that lawyers - not medical care - ate up most of the expenditures and have been paid directly from Terri's Medical Trust fund, with the approval of Judge George Greer: Here’s where most of the money went:

Atty. Gwyneth Stanley - $10,668.05 Atty. Deborah Bushnell - $65,607.00 Atty. Steve Nilson - $7,404.95 Atty. Pacarek - $1,500.00 Atty. Richard Pearse (GAL) - $4,511.95 Atty. George Felos - $397,249.99 Other - 1st Union/South Trust Bank – $55,459.85 Michael Schiavo - $10,929.95 Total: $545,852.34

These funds, the result of a malpractice suit, were meant solely to provide for Terri Schiavo’s care and rehabilitation, not to pay lawyers to help Michael Schiavo kill his wife. Schiavo’s primary attorney, George Felos, a professional advocate of mercy killing, has received upwards of $400,000 dollars since Schiavo hired him. This same attorney, at the expense of Terri’s medical fund, publicly likened Terri to a "houseplant" and has used Terri’s case on national television to promote his newly published book.

[Serenissima Venezia]

"ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that Respondents' Emergency Expedited Motion for Permission to Provide Theresa Schindler Schiavo with Food and Water by Natural Means is DENIED."

This is sick, sick, sick. How can eating and drinking normally be considered extreme measures to keep someone alive? This ought to scare the heck out of everyone!

The only good thing out of this is that Greer has been asked to leave his church - at least someone in Fl has principles.

[pickyourpoison]

I believe Robert Melton, an auditor in Pinellas County, has been investigating misuse of these guardian trusts. However, he's hitting a brick wall in some of the cases.

[Pegita]

Pinging amdgmary to this post, Claire ... she had posted some photos on the Terri threads. Michael drives a silver Mercedes and his beloved Jodi drives a black one. Their house is in the $3 to $5 hundred thousand range, if I remember correctly. There's lots of water in the back yard in the form of a pool. Protesters have been in front of Michael's house for days.

amdgmary, could you repost some of the photos here for the benefit of this thread? Thanks ...

[bannie]

You have a wonderfully logical mind. You must be an accountant (said with great respect for accountants!!!).

[Pegita]

All you need to know, and more, can be found at TheEmpireJournal

[JoeGar]

Unintended consequences: Frivilous lawsuits by the Schindlers ate up their daughter's money.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The woman has been brain dead for 15 years people, she's not going to get any better

Sorry, but Terri has never been brain dead. She has never been in a "persistent vegetative state." She can respond and breathe on her own.

Whatever MSM talking points you're quoting from is completely erroneous.

[Thumper1960]

Schiavo would claim "poor mouth". No monies to be sued for. Like the fellow who kills his parents and claims orphan status, Schiavo is a sick and disturbed human being.

[nicmarlo]

Not only sick, but it's an ILLEGAL ORDER.


see: http://www.libertytothecaptives.net/florida_statutes_terri_no_euthanasia.html


Florida Statues Prohibit Deliberate Acts to End Life

765.309 Florida Statute: Mercy Killing of Euthanasia Not Authorized; Suicide Distinguished. -- (1) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to condone, authorize, or approve mercy killing or euthanasia, or to permit any affirmative or deliberate act of omission to end the life other than to permit the natural process of dying. (2) The withholding or withdrawal of life-prolonging procedures from a patient in accordance with any provision of this chapter does not, for any purpose, constitute a suicide.

458.326 Florida Statute: Intractable Pain; Authorized Treatment. -- (4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to condone, authorize, or approve mercy killing or euthanasia, and no treatment authorized by this section may be used for such purpose.

782.08 Florida Statute: Assisting Self-Murder. -- Every person deliberately assisting another in the commission of self-murder shall be guilty of manslaughter, a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.775.082, s. 775.083 or s.775.084.

Florida's prohibitions against assisted suicide protects not only the terminally ill, but also the disabled, the elderly, the chronically ill, the severely handicapped.

Withholding food and water by mouth is a deliberate act to end life and is prohibited in the Florida statutes! "Helping" Terri kill herself is assisted suicide and is also prohibited in the Florida statutes.

[ARCADIA]

Frivilous lawsuits by the Schindlers ate up their daughter's money.

Prove it.

[Thumper1960]

Your first sentence obliterates your entire post. Brain dead means no brain activity. Clearly, Mrs. Schiavo has brain activity, hence her ability to breath, see and move.

Come up with a new argument and stop wasting time with incoherent and idiotic statements.

[blackdog]

I find it very telling that the president of the United States and the governor of Florida and the entire federal legislature can't even shove aside one judge and a local police department. I'm sure North Korea and Iran have realized that we are governed by pussies, unwilling to do what's right.

If you can't negotiate a glass of water for an infirmed woman in America, I find it hard to entrust international negotiations on nuclear missiles to anyone other than Judge Greer. Hate him and call him the evil that he is, but the guy just beat the snot out of the executive and legislative branches. Not too bad for some piss ant judge.

[blackdog]

Ever see what wild animals will do to an injured member of their own species in order to keep the pack healthy, mobile, and genetically sharp? They eat their deformed babies and will kill their own mates. A new male lion who takes over a pride will kill and eat every young lion cub in the pride in order to remove the offspring of prior management.

Welcome to Florida, the Wild Kingdom.

[Eagles6]

Save

[Honestfreedom]

Employer provided life insurance is usually minimal and the employer would tend to cancel the policy once the employee stops working there.

[frogjerk]

Hello Bush brothers...its time to come out and play.

I'm not saying there isn't anything these guys can do but in all fairness the deck was stacked against Terri since 2000 when Schiavo, Greer, Felos and company set this whole sorid tale in motion by lobbying to have the laws changed. Where was the outcry back then? Either nobody cared or nobody was looking while the this occurred.

It seems to me Jeb has been fighting this battle for a while and until late did not have much support nation wide.

Also, the right-to-life crowd has to acknowledge the contributions that W has made to the world with regards to protecting innocent Afghanis and Iraqis from the tyrannical governments that were out to destroy them.

We need to keep this all in perspective.

My prediction is that sadly, neither Jeb nor W will step in at the last minute and stop this atrocity. I don't think people will forget this and public outcry will be great when Terri does finally pass away. Bloggers will continue to hammer away at this Florida collusion of death and many things will be learned that will be eye opening to everyone.

[ARCADIA]

Either nobody cared or nobody was looking while the this occurred.

You hit the nail on the head. That is the biggest failure of the Bush Brothers. The average joe doesn't have an army of staff to keep tabs on events. But when your business is politics, it is incumbent on you to deal with these events on a timely basis.

This thing was no surprise; and there should have been an indepth plan developed to deal with this long before it could escalate into a giant political football. Jeb Bush, who somehow managed to tie the knot in his own noose by signing the 1999 legislation, should have had legislation planned to close the legal loopholes. He also should have had many agencies at hand ready to prosecute and discredit this death cabal from every possible angle. But, last week when the crap finally hit the fan, we saw that Jeb was a hollow shell. That behind his rhetorical concerns, and his paniky last minute hail mary to the Florida legislature, he had done virtually nothing to prepare his case.

[LibFreeOrDie]

"Brain dead" has a very specific clinical meaning, and is not the same as PVS:

"Neuroscience experts continue to define brain death as irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem. This definition remains consistent with the definition of brain death initially presented by the President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research.1,13"

More info, including "Criteria for Clinical Determination of Brain Death":

http://www.aacn.org/aacn/jrnlccn.nsf/0/5ebf8de743ead0fa8825674e005a8950?OpenDocument

[Maria S]

All I can find is that Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp. (phly on nasdaq) apparently bought JERGER & CENTONZE INSURNACE AGENCY, INC sometime in 2001 (?). I don't know how to research back to find corp. articles, etc., on company purchases. Maybe someone else knows how to do this. Odd, IMO, that this stuff happened about the same time that Terri was supposedly moved to the hospice (allegedly without the Schindlers knowing about it).

Again, just my opinion; counts for nothing.

[ClaireSolt]

I think the media are making things harder by limiting coverage to simple issues and telling everyone to get a living will. More outrage and support would come if the abuse and fraud were covered well.