Controversial will tied to Council on Aging likely confused elderly woman
BATON ROUGE- Scathing findings by an investigatory review panel show embattled Southern University Law Professor Dorothy Jackson did not act in accordance with Southern University Law School policy when she drafted a will for an elderly client at the East Baton Rouge Parish Council on Aging.
The findings show the will would have benefited her "friend" Dytasha Clark Amar who is the Director of the East Baton Rouge Parish Council on Aging. The WBRZ Investigative Unit broke the story about the questionable will of Helen Plummer in March of 2017. Since then, Jackson, Clark Amar and others at the Council on Aging have come under fire for their actions.
Documents obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit through a public records request show the Investigative Committee empaneled to look at Jackson's actions found that "it is unlikely that Mrs. Plummer understood the full terms and consequences of the will that she was signing."
But, after the will was drafted, "It was not timely entered in the Law Center Clinic database in accordance with the Law Center policy."
After Plummer died on March 2, 2017, "Professor Jackson took the only copy of the will from the file on March 3, 2017 and delivered it to Mrs. Clark Amar, and wrote on the file form, "Client Passed Away. Original will taken and delivered to executrix, Mrs. Tasha Amar....no copy of the will was retained in the file."
The investigative committee at Southern also found, "Following Mrs. Plummer's death, on March 17, 2017, Professor Jackson took action in her private capacity representing the executrix and Mrs. Plummer's estate to protect the assets of the estate."
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The panel at Southern also found that "Dytasha Clark Amar could not have been represented by the Elder Law Clinic, as executrix of Mrs. Plummer's estate because she was not low income and was not over the age of 50.
Because of the findings, the panel recommended that Jackson receive a year suspension without pay, revocation of tenure and a reduction of rank to Assistant Clinical Professor.
However, Chancellor John Pierre recommended that Jackson should be terminated for her actions. Pierre said, "In my opinion, the cumulative effect of all of the committee's findings on the charges and the cumulative effect of the specific evidentiary findings relative to the charged offenses... warrant a recommendation of termination."
Southern System President Ray Belton has also issued a recommendation on this issue. It is currently being reviewed by attorneys. It's unclear when any action would be taken against Professor Dorothy Jackson.
Helen Plummer's family said they were pleased with Belton's recommendation and the results of Southern's investigation.
"Everything that we believed happened is being confirmed," Plummer's granddaughter Tracie Davis said. "With that confirmation, the realization of what happened to my grandmother in the months leading up to her death...it just makes us sad...very sad."
Meanwhile, Dorothy Jackson's attorney, William Aaron told WBRZ Wednesday, "We haven't received anything from Southern University about Jackson's future. If the recommendation asks for any actions against Jackson, all administrative appeals will be exhausted and we will proceed to court if necessary."
Click here here to read the documents.