Maynard Orme was CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting for decades. Now 87, he is under the control of a guardian and his own lawyer colluding to siphon his funds and keep him from seeing his family and friends.”

#wheresmaynard

In January Maynard Orme decided to travel to California to be cared for by his daughter; to escape exploitation and neglect from a guardianship gone bad. But, on the orders of Clackamas County Judge Michael Wetzel, Maynard was removed without his family’s knowledge and returned to Oregon.

His own lawyer and his court appointed guardian are now continuing to enable the abuse of this elder by ordering that none of his family or friends are allowed to talk to him or visit with him.

The assisted living facility in Lake Oswego has a three-ring binder of people who are refused access to Maynard. The list is extensive and cruel … his daughters and his trustees, every one of his regular lunch buddies, his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend, his grandkids and sons-in-law, former colleagues, former doctors, former caregivers, and even two retired FBI agent friends of his daughter – are all called out by name to be excluded from seeing Maynard.

Who the hell gave them authority for solitary confinement?

The only people now able to contact Maynard are a cabal of professional ladies, enabled by the Judge Michael Wetzel, who have no interest in Maynard other than the income they can extract.

Audrey Ward is the court appointed Guardian and Conservator who ignored his health and trashed his finances. Her Schwabe lawyer, Jesse Minger, appears to be retained simply to bully Maynard’s family to give up on him. His girlfriend, Diane Mitchell, was never vetted as a caretaker and previously neglected his health so badly he almost died. And the queen of them all, his own lawyer Kathryn Bourn, appointed to look after Maynard’s personal interests, is colluding with all these financial parasites to decree that he may not be contacted by his friends, his daughters, or his trustees.

All of these ladies are being paid from Maynard’s funds to act against his interests and against his wishes expressed in his Living Trust, that his daughters look after him and his affairs.

Judge forces incompetent man to testify and attorneys stand silent.

Last year, Judge Wetzel signed an order making Maynard incompetent but still pushed Maynard to re-appoint Ms. Bourn who Maynard had previously fired with complaints to the Oregon Bar. All the lawyers in that courtroom had a fiduciary duty to Maynard but all stood silently by and let this happen.

I hope that Judge Wetzel is not himself involved in this Clackamas County collusion and corruption, but all of this is certainly taking place on his watch and on his orders. He has clearly ignored the clear moral imperative to follow Maynard’s wishes and has sold him down the river into this county fiduciary racket.

I wish I could paint a more optimistic picture.

The professionals have failed to protect Maynard and are now only interested in protecting themselves and their billable hours.

Now all we know is that Maynard is in assisted living and the only contact allowed is from a prior abuser, a failed conservator and her lawyer, and another lawyer he fired.