State Senator Anthony Palumbo spoke to TMZ on Jan. 21st to announce he would be re-introducing legislation that would change guardianship laws regarding family visitation in the state.
Yes, you read that right.
According to Palumbo, “Karilyn’s Law” would permit families to visit loved ones by filing a motion with the court. The guardian would then have 10 days to show the court if the person intending to visit is displaying inappropriate. If this is not the case, the visit will be approved.
This announcement comes in the wake of former daytime TV personality Wendy Williams’ mass-reported conservatorship woes. Purportedly, Williams’ rapidly declining mental state resulted in her being forced to rescind the right to make decisions on her own behalf.
In his interview with the celebrity news giant, Palumbo described Williams’ confinement within an apartment completely separate from her family for years on end as “tragic.” The Senator noted that one’s failing memory should not prohibit them from being able to spend time with loved ones.
Palumbo first proposed “Karilyn’s Law” in 2022. He is confident tis newfound interest will help appeal to the New York Legislature, where no legal mechanism against undue guardianship and elder care abuse currently exists.
The law is named after Karilyn Montani, “a senior and victim of the guardianship system whose loved ones have been denied due process rights to be heard and the right to an evidentiary hearing,” as per a June 2024 New York State Senate publication.
“On the surface, it appears that the guardianship system is designed to protect the rights of vulnerable individuals,” Palumbo said in a press conference shortly thereafter. “However, it's a system that is susceptible to abuse by unscrupulous court-appointed guardians, care managers, attorneys, and power of attorneys who are engaging in abuse for the sole purpose of financially exploiting aging adults and they're using the system as a vehicle to financially exploit vulnerable individuals.”
Alongside fellow elected representatives, Palumbo and company shared personal stories about witnessing their parents and other loved ones fall victim to a faulty system sorely in need of rectifying.
“Unless you have gone through the elder care system yourself and you've experienced the horrific nightmare and the torment that it causes both you and your loved ones, you can't even begin to comprehend the level of torment that it causes,” he said.
In the high-profile case of Wendy Williams’ Palumbo noted “Sadly, nobody is immune from guardianship abuse as we clearly see right now in the state of New York with Wendy Williams.”
He recalled Williams’s recent appearance on Power 105.1 Radio, wherein she expressed that she feels like she is in jail, cannot see her loved ones, and has $15 to her name.
Palumbo concluded: “I'm hoping that this bill will pass quickly and we can enact it into law and free everyone who's vulnerable in the United States or in this state of New York, and also give Wendy Williams the relief that she is seeking today.”