A client recently came to see me because her husband’s son from a previous marriage had himself appointed his father’s emergency temporary guardian. This was done with no notice to her, as allowed by Florida law. I recently received a distraught call from her because her husband was in the hospital, and she had just heard that her husband’s doctors would not discuss his condition with her. The Order appointing her stepson as emergency temporary guardian (ETG) gave him the right to make all health care decisions for his father and he had instructed them not to discuss her husband’s care with her. Just to make matters worse, the son who is now calling the shots had been estranged from his father.
The guardianship laws require that the judge shall determine whether the ward, prior to incapacity, has executed any valid” advance directive naming a health care surrogate. If an advance directive exists, then the judge is required to “specify in its order and letters of guardianship what authority, if any, the guardian shall exercise over the surrogate.” Generally, the judge will provide that the guardian shall have no authority over the health care surrogate pending further order of the court. See, Fla. Stat. sec. 744.3115
It is unclear whether the client has a health care surrogate directive from her husband. If she has one, then we could probably get the judge to modify his previous order appointing the ETG. The judge could not modify or revoke her authority as the health care surrogate without finding grounds under Florida Statute section 765.105. Therefore, in all likelihood, she would have the right to make the health care decisions and to discuss her husband’s care with his doctors.
If there is no directive naming her as her husband’s health care surrogate, then the client may not gain back control of her husband’s health care. However, at a minimum, the judge will probably require that she be kept informed of her husband’s care and treatment.
This situation highlights the importance of proper estate planning, including a directive naming a health care surrogate.
The Harry Thomas Hackney Florida Law Blog 