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Probate Court Judge Ruled Unfairly, Asserts Black Beneficiary of $2 Million Estate

When Dr. Laura Dean Head left this earth, she left her estate to the person who had been the most loving to her, Zakiya Folami Jendayi. Head’s former student from San Francisco State University, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister, mentee and friend had known each other for 28 years. During that period, Head had been estranged from her two sisters.

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Jendayi is reaching out to more than 100 African American respondents who have had the similar experience of losing their estates because of Bean’s, other judges, commissioners, attorneys, and court reporters’ actions against them. Next month Jendayi and other respondents will present their information before the County Board of Supervisors and then possibly a class-action lawsuit.
Jendayi is reaching out to more than 100 African American respondents who have had the similar experience of losing their estates because of Bean’s, other judges, commissioners, attorneys, and court reporters’ actions against them. Next month Jendayi and other respondents will present their information before the County Board of Supervisors and then possibly a class-action lawsuit.

By Tanya Dennis

When Dr. Laura Dean Head left this earth, she left her estate to the person who had been the most loving to her, Zakiya Folami Jendayi.

Head’s former student from San Francisco State University, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister, mentee and friend had known each other for 28 years. During that period, Head had been estranged from her two sisters.

Not only giving Jendayi power of attorney, Head also made her longtime friend her agent of advance health care, trust administrator, trustee of her estate and sole beneficiary.  Head disinherited her two sisters and included a no-contest clause in her trust.

These decisions did not occur in a vacuum: Head told her best friend Dr. Derethia DuVal that she wanted Jendayi to inherit her property and belongings. Head also told the Kaiser Hospice social worker Jenna Noe that she was leaving her belongings to Jendayi.

Head passed away on June 19, 2013. Jendayi took four years to remodel Head’s residence and moved into the home in 2017.

Seven years after Head’s death, her sister filed a petition on May 18, 2020, to invalidate the trust for “undue influence and or forgery.”  The Head sisters, Della Hamlin and Helaine Head, when asked for comment, did not respond.

Alameda County Probate Court Judge Sandra K. Bean initially tentatively ruled in the first hearing Aug. 5, 2020, that the sisters were not beneficiaries or trustees, therefore they had no standing.

The sisters’ counsel Daniel Leahy changed the allegation to financial elder abuse, in the second hearing but never amended his petition, or brought the issue of financial elder abuse up throughout the trial.

During the second hearing on May 10, 2021, Bean changed her ruling and scheduled a trial that was supposed to take four days but instead lasted for 18.

Fifteen witnesses testified and not one testified that there was undue influence, according to Jendayi.

Head’s estate planning attorney Elaine Lee entered a declaration, was deposed, and testified during the trial in 2022 that Jendayi had nothing to do with the establishment of the will and trust.  Attorney Lee testified, “I met with Dr. Head alone, as well as with Ms. Jendayi and I did not find Head to be a victim of fraud or undue influence.”

Bean then ruled on March 28, 2023, that Head had not lacked mental capacity and there was no forgery but that Jendayi “unduly influenced Head to leave her estate to Jendayi.”  When the court-appointed attorney Phillip Campbell was asked for comment, he did not respond.

Bean’s ruling invalidated the trust, taking all of Head’s assets, the car, house, retirement, and investments valued over $2 million, which is likely to end up going to probate attorneys for fees and to the sisters, who Head disinherited. When Head sisters’ attorney Daniel Leahy was contacted, he responded “I cannot comment on an ongoing court case.”

Jendayi decided to appeal the decision and hired attorneys Griffin Schindler and James Decker who filed the appeal on April 17, 2023.

Griffin filed the appeal based on “1. The evidence is insufficient to justify the verdict or other decisions, 2. The verdict or other decisions are against the law, and 3. There was error in the law, occurring at trial and excepted to by the moving party.“  

“I am filing a complaint against the judge because Bean withheld evidence supporting my position that there was no undue influence,” Jendayi said. “She added false evidence against me, and Bean’s demeanor towards me was hostile and bias with Bean stating “The court observed the respondent’s strong, authoritative manner throughout trial which the court finds would influence a person in Dr. Head’s state.”

Jendayi is reaching out to more than 100 African American respondents who have had the similar experience of losing their estates because of Bean’s, other judges, commissioners, attorneys, and court reporters’ actions against them. Next month Jendayi and other respondents will present their information before the County Board of Supervisors and then possibly a class-action lawsuit.

“Dr. Head and I had attorneys in 2013; we did the right thing,” Jendayi says. “The Creator has directed me to fight for my ancestor’s descendants who have also had their estates stolen.

“Unfortunately, our stolen legacy is standard operating procedure within the probate judicial system.  I will continue to fight the injustice within the justice system until I am victorious,” Jendayi said.

Although Court appointed attorney Phillip Campbell has filed a petition for Jendayi to surrender all the assets she remains in the home.

Activism

Griot Theater Company Presents August Wilson’s Work at Annual Oratorical Featuring Black Authors

The performance explores the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson whose 10-play Century Cycle chronicles the African American experience across the 20th century, with each play set in a different decade. “Half a Century” journeys through the final five plays of this monumental cycle, bringing Wilson’s richly woven stories to life in a way that celebrates history, resilience, and the human spirit.

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Late playwright August Wilson. Wikipedia photo.
Late playwright August Wilson. Wikipedia photo.

By Godfrey Lee

Griot Theater Company will present their Fifth Annual Oratorical with August Wilson’s “Half a Century,” at the Belrose on 1415 Fifth Ave., in San Rafael near the San Rafael Public Library.

The performance explores the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson whose 10-play Century Cycle chronicles the African American experience across the 20th century, with each play set in a different decade. “Half a Century” journeys through the final five plays of this monumental cycle, bringing Wilson’s richly woven stories to life in a way that celebrates history, resilience, and the human spirit.

Previous performance highlighting essential Black American authors included Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Lorraine Hansberry with Langston Hughes.

The play will be performed at 3:00. p.m. on Feb. 20, 21, 22, 27, and 28 at 7:00 p.m., and on Feb. 23 at 3:00 p.m.

For more information, go to griottheatercompany.squarespace.com/productions-v2

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Activism

Two New California Bills Are Aiming to Lower Your Prescription Drug Costs

“When basic life necessities like medication become unaffordable in Blue States, working people pay the price. As Democrats, we should be leading on making people’s lives better and more affordable,” continued Weiner. It is past time California caught up with other states and put basic protections in place to contain the astronomical cost of basic medications.”

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iStock.
iStock.

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has introduced two bills in the State Senate that could lower prescription drug prices for California residents.

Senate Bill (SB) 40, or the Insulin Affordability Act — and accompanying legislation, SB 41, or Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reform — comprise Wiener’s Prescription Drug Affordability (PDA) Package.

Together, the bills would cap monthly co-pays for insulin at $35 (SB 40) and create regulations for pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) whose negotiation practices, critics say, have resulted in steep price increases for prescription drugs (SB 41).

“It makes no sense that people with diabetes in states like West Virginia can access affordable insulin while Californians are stuck with higher prices,” said Wiener in a statement.

“When basic life necessities like medication become unaffordable in Blue States, working people pay the price. As Democrats, we should be leading on making people’s lives better and more affordable,” continued Weiner. It is past time California caught up with other states and put basic protections in place to contain the astronomical cost of basic medications.”

SB 40’s proposed $35 monthly co-pay was written, in part, in response to the price of insulin tripling over the past decade, Wiener’s office says. As a result of the increase, one in four people using insulin has reported insulin underuse because they can’t afford the full dose.

About 4,037,000 adult Californians have diabetes, with an additional 263,000 cases of Type 1 diabetes diagnosed each year. This rate in new cases disproportionately affects the elderly, men, and low-income patients, Wiener’s office reports.

According to Wiener, SB 41 is his follow-up to similar legislation he introduced last year, SB 966, which was vetoed by Gov. Newsom.

Middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry, PBMs buy prescription drugs from manufacturers and then sell them to pharmacies and health plans. Their position as intermediaries allows them to charge high administrative fees and significantly higher prices for drugs to pharmacies than they paid originally. This practice results in higher costs for patients seeking the prescriptions they need.

“On behalf of the Californians we serve who live with chronic and rare diseases, we are grateful to Sen. Wiener for his commitment and attempt to hold pharmacy middlemen accountable for their anti-patient and anti-pharmacy practices,” stated Liz Helms, California Chronic Care Coalition President & CEO.  “Health care costs continue to rise when patients cannot afford medically necessary medications.”

SB 41 proposes that all PBMs be licensed and that they disclose basic information regarding their business practices to the licensing entity. It also calls for a number of other requirements and prohibitions, including limiting how fees may be charged and requiring transparency related to all fees assessed.

“This bill addresses some of the worst abuses by pharmacy benefit managers: lack of transparency, unfair business practices, steering, and price gouging,” said Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog.

In 2022, drug spending in California grew by 12%, while total health premiums rose by just 4%. Last year, more than half of Californians either skipped or postponed mental and physical healthcare due to cost, putting their safety and well-being at risk. One in three reported holding medical debt, including half of low-income Californians.

So far, there is no organized opposition to the Prescription Drug Affordability package.

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Activism

Tony Thurmond Urges Educators to Stay Focused Amid Federal Funding Battle

In a statement and a letter to California’s local educational agencies (LEAs), Thurmond praised efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and close achievement gaps, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. “Now is not the time to be distracted by external efforts to demean and divide,” Thurmond wrote. “Please continue to stay the course with local programs that are producing results. Our students need consistency, support, and community more than ever.”

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Tony Thurmond. Courtesy of Tony Thurmond’s Facebook page.
Tony Thurmond. Courtesy of Tony Thurmond’s Facebook page.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has urged educators to remain focused on student achievement following a court ruling that temporarily blocks the Trump administration from freezing federal funding for schools, health care, law enforcement, and disaster relief.

A U.S. District Court judge in Rhode Island issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on Jan. 31, halting federal efforts to pause funding while a lawsuit led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 22 other state attorneys general moves forward. Thurmond, a declarant in the case, welcomed the decision and reassured educators that funding for critical school programs remains in place.

In a statement and a letter to California’s local educational agencies (LEAs), Thurmond praised efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and close achievement gaps, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

“Now is not the time to be distracted by external efforts to demean and divide,” Thurmond wrote. “Please continue to stay the course with local programs that are producing results. Our students need consistency, support, and community more than ever.”

Thurmond emphasized that state officials will continue advocating for stable funding to ensure schools can maintain and expand programs that help students succeed.

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