I cried along with Judge Seidlin, this week as he tearfully turned over Anne Nicole Smith's fortune not to the executor of her will, not to the legal father of her five month old child, and not to the child's grandmother, but to the Judge's friend, Richard Milstein. Mr. Milstein only relationship to Anne Nicole Smith, Anne Nicole's daughter, or any other family, friend, or associate of Anne Nicole Smith is through his relationship with Judge Seidlin.

 

            I recall the scene from the "Devil's Advocate" where Al Pacino explains to Keanu Reeves why the Devil opened a law firm "They never see it coming, I am the hand sliding up the inside of the dress".

 

            Only those of us familiar with the Machine cringed when we heard Judge Seidlin appoint Milstein as the Guardian Ad Litem for Anne Nicole Smith's five month daughter.

 

            In theory there is a difference between a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) and a Guardian.  I have an article up on my website at http://www.fatheriam.com/GAL.htm . A Guardian assumes the role of a parent. A Guardian Ad Litem is a lawyer appointed to represent the children's interests before the court.

 

            In reality, as I outline in my article, the GALs slipp into the control role with the endorsement of the Court.

 

            Now, take aside all of the thousands of accusations and stories floating around concerning Anne Nicole Smith. The stories about how and why she hated her mother, the questions about the child's father, the circumstances surrounding her death, etc… The truth is that we do not know the truth, but there are some facts that no Court has set aside,

 

1.      Anne Nicole Smith had a mother and by extension her daughter has a grandmother

 

2.      Howard K. Stern is listed on the birth certificate as the child's father

 

3.      Howard K. Stern is appointed executor in the only will produced

 

4.      The daughter was born in the Bahamas and may have never been to Florida in her short life.  While she may be a United States Citizen, she is not a resident or a citizen of the State of Florida. This question was raised by another judge in a related hearing yesterday.

 

Given the allegations being made by all parties, the appointment of a GAL to separately represent the child during the specific matter before Seidlin is not out of bounds. But the Judge went way past that.

 

To assume jurisdiction over the child is ludicrous, to empower a complete stranger to make decisions on the child's behalf when there are two legal relatives available to chose from is criminal, yes, criminal.

 

And who pays for Mr. Milstein? Why, the daughter does out of the money she inherits from her mother, money Mr. Milstein now has some control over. Seidlin ordered Milstein to place Ms. Smith to rest. He will have to take money from the estate to do so, and money to pay his bills, and so on.

 

I am not suggesting that they will drain the estate dry, and I am not suggesting Seidlin expects a monetary kickback. I am suggesting Milstein will generate thousands of dollars in fees.   

 

In New Mexico, GALS tend to hang around until the kids turn eighteen, charging thousands of dollars each year for their 'services'.  While my GAL experience was positive, I realize I was the exception (Check out this conversation between a GAL and a father ).

 

The Machine depends on its own members to feed it. The judges, lawyers, mental health professionals all get there subsistence from each other. We are simply the meal they pass around until they can eat no more. I am sure Judge Seidlin and Mr. Milstein have a long history of working together, another justification in Judge Seidlin's mind for his actions. I mean who can the Machine trust but itself?

 

 

Antigone Rising "She's Not Innocent"