Family members accuse Oakland County probate system of misconduct; urge commissioners to attend June 30 hearing
Loading...
Summary
Multiple speakers during public comment alleged systemic problems in the Oakland County probate system, described missing assets and fee harvesting, and asked commissioners to attend a June 30 hearing in Judge O’Brien’s courtroom to observe alleged wrongs in the handling of their family’s estate.
Speakers at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners’ June 11 meeting used public comment to raise allegations of long‑running misconduct in the Oakland County Probate Court and to invite commissioners to attend a June 30 hearing.
Jody White said the probate system had “systematically destroy[ed] families while enriching themselves with taxpayer funded salaries and court ordered fees.” She told commissioners that Judge O’Brien had issued a ruling on Feb. 26 attempting to strip a family member, Jeff, of beneficiary status and asked commissioners and members of the public to attend a hearing scheduled for June 30 at 8:30 a.m. “This isn’t about one bad case. It’s about a corrupted system,” White said.
Jeff White, who later spoke in public comment, said he has sought redress since 2018 and urged the board to “restore integrity to our probate system and hold legal professionals accountable.” He provided a phone number on the record and also noted the June 30 hearing time. “My hearing will be June, at 08:30AM… Come out, watch on the thirtieth,” he said.
Speakers alleged that court‑appointed fiduciaries collected large fees, that attorneys switched sides midcase while billing the estate, and that assets went missing without investigation. The speakers said adult protective services had initially petitioned the court to protect an estate and that, instead, the probate process resulted in alleged “waste and dissipation.” These are allegations made during public comment; the board did not act on or investigate the claims during the meeting.
Commissioners did not respond with a formal action on the record during public comment; the meeting record shows the speakers’ requests and scheduled hearing information but no immediate board directive or referral was recorded.
—
The June 30 hearing referenced by the speakers was scheduled before Judge O’Brien at 8:30 a.m., according to remarks on the public record. The transcript records the allegations and the public invitation for commissioners to observe.
