La La Anthony will soon star in an upcoming Lifetime movie, Bad Guardian, which centers around the hot button issue of conservatorships.
The network’s recently released controversial docuseries Where Is Wendy Williams?, which highlights the media personality’s battle to regain control of her life after being placed under a court-ordered guardianship while also dealing with alcohol addition and health issues, is all the talk on social media and has placed conservatorships under the microscope.
Bad Guardian will also star Melissa Joan Hart (“Sabrina The Teenage Witch”) and Eric Pierpoint (Liar Liar) in a story “about one woman’s fight to save her father from the clutches of a corrupt and greedy court-appointed guardian,” per the film synopsis.
“When Leigh’s (Hart) father Jason (Pierpoint) suffers a fall while she’s out of town, the courts assign Jason a guardian, Janet (Anthony). At first Janet seems to be a big help to Jason, but things quickly take a terrible turn,” the synopsis reads. “Janet is legally in charge of every aspect of Jason’s life, and doesn’t waste any time placing him in a nursing home, auctioning off his house, all worldly possessions, and using the excuse that the proceeds are needed for his care.”
Although Leigh does all she can to “challenge Janet’s efforts,” the determined guardian is able to continue denying family visits until Jason’s health “deteriorates, to the point that he needs a life saving treatment which Janet decides is too expensive.”
“As the whistleblowers around Jason meet untimely ends, Leigh finds the strength to take down the guardian and the corrupt system that supports her,” concludes the synopsis.
According to Diane Diamond, a journalist and author of the book, We’re Here to Help – When Guardianship Goes Wrong, there are upwards of 2 million Americans that have been placed under a guardianship or conservatorship with state courts confiscating over $50 billion annually. Diamond says 98% of people placed under such arrangements “never get out” and there is currently “zero federal laws to regulate the guardianship/conservatorship system.”
Though Williams’ situation is the latest in high-profile conservatorships to make the news, there have been others that have drawn attention as well. Most notable is that of pop star Britney Spears, whose 13-year conservatorship was in terminated by a judge in November 2021 after a years long battle to regain control of her finances and personal assets.
Bad Guardian has yet to be issued a release date but is expected to air on Lifetime later this year.
