When Lamar Odom was found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel it was quickly pointed out that his estranged wife Khloe Kardashian retained a say in the decision made concerning his health. Even though the couple was estranged their divorce was, and remains, pending before a California court which means that all legal rights of a married couple were still retained. As a result, this case serves as an excellent reminder of the importance of health care directives such as a living will and other grants of powers of attorney for health care and other critical decisions in the event of incapacitation. This is especially true in circumstances such as this when a couple is divorcing and have no desire for the other spouse to retain control of certain decisions. Due to the relative ease in creating these directives, every client should be strongly encouraged to prepare health care directives whenever they want a decision maker that would not be automatically assigned by law.
See, Wife of Former NBA Star Lamar Odom Retains Power Over Health Care Decisions, Law Firm News Wire, December 15, 2015.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
