We helped save her from possible embezzlers!

Rita Hayworth is a name that probably isn't recognized by today's youth and although she had been a superstar in her heyday, during the forties and the fifties, she "should" be known today through her films that play on cable and available on DVD.

During World War II, she was the ultimate pin-up girl, along with Betty Grable. Their photographs were everywhere, in service men's lockers, on the walls of their barracks and anyplace you could hang a picture. It inspired the word "cheesecake." Betty passed away and it looked like someone was trying to "do-in" Rita as well.

Rita had many bouts with alcohol, but then in Hollywood, who hasn't? But, it seemed that all of Rita's rights where  taken away by her manager, Leonard Monroe. Leonard claimed Rita had Alzheimer's disease and couldn't take care of her physical needs relating to health, food, clothing and shelter and that she required personal assistance in her home for those needs and that she was substantially unable to manage her financial resources or resist fraud or undue influence.

Checking the court documents, I learned Rita was living at 211 S. Spaulding Drive in Beverly Hills. And driving past this so called "shelter" (a condominium), to me, seemed adequate for anyone. It was a luxurious complex with extremely tight security, located a couple of blocks off Wilshire Boulevard. Ironically, the attorney who filed the "petition for conservator," Charles Rose, on behalf of her manager, had also filed a petition on a former lawsuit by Rita (Hayworth -v- Jack Ostrom, California Certificate fund, Inc., a California Corporation, Case #C-173352).

This was a very complex and complicated case with figures ranging around $700,000. Attorney/manager, Monroe, was trying to recoup funds from Ms. Hayworth's investments. During that trial, attorney Rose filed a petition for Appointment of Guardian Ad Litem. In that petition it was stated that Rita Hayworth is an incompetent person by reason of age and infirmity, who is unable, without assistance, to prosecute or settle the action described in the petition. Furthermore, it states Ms. Hayworth has causes of action against defendant arising out of a breach of fiduciary duty by her former business manager and attorney, and negligent misrepresentation and for accounting of monies due Plaintiff but with-held by defendants. On that petition Rita Hayworth signed consent: "I Rita Hayworth, consent that Leonard H. Monroe be appointed my Guardian Ad Litem in the within action." Whether or not Rita understood what she was signing, is another question gone unanswered. What made me suspicious is the fact, both attorneys, filed "against" Rita in the past and continued to do so. If Rita was, indeed incompetent, then why shouldn't another attorney, one without any past connections with her, be appointed to represent her?

After reviewing the facts of the case, I decided Ms. Hayworth should have a "neutral" person to represent her, since Leonard Monroe had been her business manager and Charles Rose, being an attorney who filed the first petition for Monroe, as well as the current one. I felt that it wasn't a neutral position either, especially if Rita was as sick as they were saying she was. If she wasn't able to comprehend what was going on, then there should be someone to protect her rights, someone who wouldn't benefit from whatever decision the court should make in this matter.

So, I filed a two page letter with the court, which the Judge read before the hearing. I had cited another case where the conservator, for a millionaire, squandered all of the money. I also contacted her daughter, Yasmin Khan, as well as her sister, to let them know what was taking place with her mother in court. They were unaware of this hearing until I phoned them.

The Judge let Monroe read the letter prior to the court hearing. Monroe, in a stunned look, requested that the letter be made a "part of the record" and stated that it was libelous. The Judge said he didn't look at it that way. He said he had many phone calls on this matter and that there had been many rumors and that the "Hollywood Star" newspaper was a concerned party. He scheduled a second hearing.

And since that first hearing (perhaps due to our letter), the court appointed another North Hollywood attorney to represent Ms. Hayworth and to thoroughly investigate the matter. The attorney contacted us and we in turn let him know how to reach some of Rita's close friends in addition to her daughters who live in other states.

During the hearing, another attorney was present, sent by Rita's daughter, Yasmin Khan. He said Yasmin may want to be her conservator and that Yasmin may appear at the next hearing. If the attorneys who had been representing Rita, had embezzled money from Rita, then they could cover it up, if Monroe had been the conservator. Who knows, other than Rita, if she had made personal loans to them? This happened in a case here in Los Angeles, with a multi-millionaire. Who, other than Rita, knew if past lawsuits and collections of judgments from them, were actually given to her? In this type of case, one can easily draw conclusions, both right and wrong. If Rita had been broke, would there still have been so much concern for her welfare? In the petition filed, it was stated she had $250,000 in the Great Western Savings and Loan in Culver City. Quite a nice sum. And if Monroe had been appointed conservator, what would have prevented him from putting her in a convalescent home and keeping the money? Legally, he could.

At her condo/apartment, nobody could see Rita. She wasn't given telegrams (mine was returned as undeliverable), and visitors weren't permitted in. Was she being held against her will, or for her protection, or as protection for the attorneys who were trying to take her rights away?

I knew for a fact that the Los Angeles District Attorney was investigating the matter. Whether it was a thorough investigation is another question. I ran into an investigator at the Probate filing office. He didn't seem overly interested and told me that Rita's address wasn't on the petition....BUT IT WAS! And the phone number listed, wasn't hers...it was that of attorney Monroe. He received all of Rita's phone calls. Now how does that grab you?

The petition stated that Rita is able but unwilling to attend the court hearings. But, there was nothing on record to substantiate that. How about ex-hubby, Orson Welles? Couldn't someone talk to her to see how bad she really was?

THE CONCLUSION: Rita moved to New York with her daughter Yasmin. She died a few years later from Alzheimer's disease. Her former attorneys only got fees for representing her. Yasmin is helping to find a cure for Alzheimers.

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"Bill Dakota is truly Hollywood. People out here want to read about celebrity sex, crime, drugs, violence and general perversity."- The "late" Joyce Haber columnist for the Los Angeles Times and author of "THE USERS".

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(link:the-gossip-columnist-51.blogsot.com) Marilyn Monroe just needed love.