Peter Falk's Law. Last week I did a TT about Peter Falk's most famous role, TV's Columbo. In researching it, I discovered that Falk's final illness and death in 2011 inspired elder care legislation.
1. Peter Falk and his wife Alyce had two daughters, Jackie and Catherine. The couple divorced when Catherine was five years old. The following year, Falk remarried Shera Danese.
2. In later years, Falk suffered declining health. He made his final acting appearance at age 82. After that, he retired, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
3. Shera Danese Falk was named his conservator. This was not unusual, as they had been married for decades. Friends agreed they were a devoted couple, and Shera would be mentioned on Falk's tombstone, which reads, "I'm not here. I'm home with Shera."
4. There were problems, though, between Mrs. Falk and her adult stepdaughters. Especially Catherine. At one point Catherine filed a lawsuit against her father when he stopped paying her college tuition as promised. Catherine referred to this as a "bump in the road" and maintains that while she and her father had reconciled, her stepmother remained distrustful and divisive.
5. Catherine Falk filed to become her father's conservator. During the last years of their father's life, Catherine testified that she and her sister were not allowed to see or speak to him, nor were they made aware of changes in his medical condition.
6. She was denied. The court found that Peter was well cared for and there was no evidence whatsoever that Mrs. Falk was neglectful or abusive to her husband.
7. Catherine Falk learned that in California at that time, there were no laws to guarantee children visitation. Even though a judge granted Catherine limited access to her father (30 minutes, 2x week), there was no way to legally enforce that and she believed her stepmother was intentionally keeping her father isolated from his daughters.
8. Peter Falk's daughters found out about their father's death from the media. They were not invited to his funeral.
9. So Catherine got to work. She began lobbying California lawmakers in an effort to give children the right to be notified when their parents go through what she called, "life-changing events."
10. California now has Peter Falk's Law. It provides that children and siblings of a patient have a right to notified when that patient "requires acute medical care for more than three days, or dies."
11. The law now also puts a system in place for children and siblings to appeal for visitation. This way, hopefully, others won't suffer Catherine's frustration (#7).
12. Catherine's quest was never about her father's money. While details are not known, Catherine and Jackie each received a "six-figure" inheritance from their father. Catherine has used the money for legal fees and establishing Falk-NASGA (National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse).
13. Twelve states have now enacted a version of Peter Falk's Law.
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