Judge Colleen Sterne of Santa Barbara, CA; incompetent boob

The state of California presented Sandra A. Sellers with a law license in 1990 after she graduated from the Santa Barbara College of Law. Sandy also received a license to practice in the District of Columbia in 1983.

In addition to obtaining a law license in 1990, Colleen is also an ordained Episcopal priest.

In one matter, Judge Sterne presided over a case involving an action brought by two adult children to place their mother under a conservatorship. However, the two children dismissed their conservatorship petition after two years of litigation when the mother agreed to obtain needed care.

In her infinite ignorance, Judge Sterne awarded attorney fees to the children’s lawyers, fees that would be paid from the mother’s estate. Subsequently, Judge Sterne’s asinine ruling was appealed to Division Six of the Court of Appeal, which reversed the ruling and in doing so made the following statements.

• “No conservator was ever appointed and, consequently, appellant never became a conservatee.”
• “Thus, there is no ‘estate of the conservatee’ from which to pay attorney fees….Respondents cite no authority suggesting the court may order a non-conservatee to pay the fees.”
• “Probate Code §2640.1 authorizes fees in certain cases in which a conservator was appointed.”
• Such fees are not available where, as here, the matter is resolved without a conservator’s appointment.”

Of course, Colleen does not much give a damn how many times she is overruled by an Appellate Court since she is well aware that no judge in California has ever been tossed off the bench for being an incompetent boob.

As we speak (ca. August 2021), Sandy continues to practice her so-called brand of jurisprudence as a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge in Santa Barbara, California.