Matter of Guardianship of Tamara LP

503 N.W.2d 333, 177 Wis. 2d 770, 1993 Wisc. App. LEXIS 751
CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedJune 17, 1993
Docket93-0094-FT
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 503 N.W.2d 333 (Matter of Guardianship of Tamara LP) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matter of Guardianship of Tamara LP, 503 N.W.2d 333, 177 Wis. 2d 770, 1993 Wisc. App. LEXIS 751 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinions

SUNDBY, J.

Tamara P., a proposed ward and alleged incompetent, appeals from an order under sec. 880.12, Stats., determining that she is a proper subject for guardianship, and protectively placing her pursuant to sec. 55.06, Stats. She claims that the trial court erroneously exercised its discretion when it appointed as guardian ad litem protecting her best interests in those proceedings, the attorney who had previously acted as adversary counsel in the involuntary commitment proceedings preceding the guardianship and protective placement proceedings. We agree.

We apply the "substantial relationship" test which we adopted in Berg v. Marine Trust Co., 141 Wis. 2d 878, 884-85, 416 N.W.2d 643, 646-47 (Ct. App. 1987), and conclude that the subject matter of petitions for appointment of a guardian for a proposed ward under sec. 880.07, Stats., and protective placement under sec. [775]*77555.06, Stats., is substantially related to the subject matter of a petition for involuntaiy commitment under sec. 51.20, Stats. Therefore, the trial court erroneously exercised its discretion when it denied Tamara's motion to disqualify the court-appointed attorney as guardian ad litem pursuant to sec. 880.331, Stats. We reverse the order and direct that on remand the trial court appoint a guardian ad litem qualified to serve as such under sec. 880.331(2), Stats.

BACKGROUND

On September 2,1992, Tamara P. was the subject of emergency detention under sec. 51.15, Stats. A statement of emergency detention was filed with the court pursuant to sec. 51.15(5), Stats., which had the effect of a petition for commitment under sec. 51.20, Stats. A probable cause hearing was held as required by sec. 51.20(7), Stats. At that hearing, Tamara was represented by Attorney Kim Alexander, who was appointed Tamara’s adversary counsel pursuant to sec. 51.20(3), Stats.1

At the probable cause hearing, the matter was converted to a proceeding for guardianship under ch. 880, Stats., and protective placement under sec. 55.06, Stats. On September 8, 1992, Alexander informed the Dane County Court Commissioner that Tamara intended to contest the guardianship and protective placement and wished to have counsel appointed for her. Accordingly, Attorney Yolanda Lehner was appointed to represent Tamara. Section 51.20(7)(d), Stats.

[776]*776Section 55.06(1), Stats., provides that protective placement under this section may not be ordered unless there is a determination of incompetency in accordance with ch. 880, Stats. Accordingly, on September 18,1992, a social worker employed by the Dane County Department of Human Services filed a petition with the circuit court for appointment of a guardian for Tamara's person and estate. At the same time, the social worker filed a petition with the court for protective placement of Tamara. On September 18,1992, the court commissioner filed an order appointing Alexander guardian ad litem for Tamara in the guardianship and protective placement proceedings.

On September 29,1992, Tamara's appointed counsel filed a motion to remove Alexander as guardian ad litem on several grounds. First, Tamara contended that permitting Alexander to act as her guardian ad litem violated her right to due process. Second, she claimed that permitting Alexander to act as guardian ad litem violated her right to counsel secured by article I, section 7, of the Wisconsin Constitution and the sixth amendment to the United States Constitution. Finally, Tamara argued that Alexander had a conflict of interest which precluded her from serving as guardian ad litem for Tamara, citing the Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules of Professional Conduct For Attorneys, SCR 20:1.7, 20:1.8(b), 20:1.9, and 20:l.ll(c) (Law. Co-op. 1992).

At the contested hearing on September 30, 1992, the trial court denied Tamara's motion to remove Alexander as guardian ad litem. The trial court did not take testimony, but relied on Alexander's representations that her prior representation of Tamara had been very limited. Alexander further represented that the only document she had access to was a statement of the [777]*777emergency detention, which she would have had access to as guardian ad litem. The trial court made the following inquiry of Alexander:

THE COURT: [D]o you feel. . . that you are able to make an independent recommendation to the Court based on the reports that are submitted, the testimony that may be received today, apart from whatever impressions you may have formed from your initial discussions with [Tamara]?
MS. ALEXANDER: Yes, I do.

On the basis of these representations the court concluded:

Under the representations made here by Ms. Alexander that she had access to no information that is not otherwise part of this file already and that she is able to make an independent recommendation apart from whatever information [Tamara] may have imparted to her, I believe that the possibility of a conflict of interest has been removed from this case, and I'm going to deny the motion for removal of the guardian ad litem based on the record established before me.

DECISION

A. Due Process.

We first consider Tamara's claim that Alexander's appointment as guardian ad litem in the guardianship and protective placement proceedings denied her due process. It is not clear whether she claims a violation of her right to procedural due process or to substantive due process. In any event, her argument in this respect is not developed. She cites no authority to support her claim. We will not develop her argument. See State v. [778]*778Shaffer, 96 Wis. 2d 531, 545-46, 292 N.W.2d 370, 378 (Ct. App. 1980).

B. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel.

On appeal, Tamara confines her right-to-counsel argument to a claim that Alexander failed to provide her with effective counsel. The county and the guardian ad litem assert that Tamara did not raise that issue in the trial court and we should not consider it. See Wirth v. Ehly, 93 Wis. 2d 433, 443, 287 N.W.2d 140, 146 (1983). The county and the guardian ad litem mistake Tamara's argument. She argues that the right to the assistance of counsel includes the right to effective representation and, once it is demonstrated that counsel actively represented a conflicting interest, counsel is per se ineffective. State v. Franklin, 111 Wis. 2d 681, 686-87, 331 N.W.2d 633, 636-37 (Ct. App. 1983). Tamara raised this issue in the trial court. However, we conclude that her right to the effective assistance of counsel does not include the right to insist that the guardian ad litem appointed to represent her best interests provide effective assistance. Tamara is represented by adversary counsel and that representation satisfies any constitutional or statutory right Tamara has to representation. 2

C. Conflict of Interest.

Finally, we address Tamara's claim that Alexander could not serve as guardian ad litem in the [779]

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Matter of Guardianship of Tamara LP
503 N.W.2d 333 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1993)

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503 N.W.2d 333, 177 Wis. 2d 770, 1993 Wisc. App. LEXIS 751, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-guardianship-of-tamara-lp-wisctapp-1993.