Conservatorship of L.A. CA6

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

L.A. has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental illness characterized by delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations, which causes mood swings, verbal aggression, resistance to treatment, gross disorganization, suicidal ideation, and anxiety, thereby interfering with her judgment, daily functioning, and social interactions. In her previous lawsuit, L.A. appealed a judgment imposing letters of conservatorship following a jury’s determination that she was “presently gravely disabled due to mental disorder.” That conservatorship began on August 5, 2021, and expired by operation of law on August 3, 2022.2 Before its expiration, the public guardian had petitioned for reappointment of the conservatorship on June 30, 2022 (petition). The petition alleged that L.A. was then residing at Dycora Transitional Health, a locked psychiatric facility in San Jose. It further alleged that she was still a gravely disabled person within the meaning of the LPS Act, and that she lacked the mental capacity to rationally understand the nature of the medical problem, the proposed treatment, and the attendant risks. In support of the petition, the public guardian…