Lawmaker told court her mom had dementia in family property battle. Not so, said doctors

CalMatters investigation finds that California Assemblymember Anamarie Ávila Farías once sought to have her elderly mother placed under conservatorship during a bitter family real estate dispute, despite doctors finding no evidence of dementia. Court records reviewed by the outlet show Ávila Farías faced a temporary restraining order for elder abuse after allegedly hitting her mother, and she dropped the conservatorship bid only after her mother agreed to sign over property in a settlement. Ávila Farías, who now sits on the Assembly committee overseeing eldercare policy, declined to discuss case specifics, citing a confidentiality agreement, though her spokesperson says no court ever found wrongdoing. As CalMatters reports, she says she plans to introduce related legislation next year, without detailing what it would address.

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