Stanford University supports eviction of elderly widow with cancer

Stanford University supports eviction of elderly widow with cancer

by Lynda Carson -- June 16, 2010

Oakland -- Angie Cicero is a 77 year-old widow with cancer, who is being evicted from the comfortable surroundings of a home that she has resided in for over 24 years, so that Stanford University can profit by the sale of the home she resides in.

Ms. Cicero's landlord passed away a few years ago and he left the home she resides in as a gift to Stanford University. The property is now being managed by a trustee named Cathy Stirling of Spokane, Washington (509/993-7664), with Stanford University as the beneficiary.

In a letter from Kara D. Wertheimer, Deputy Director of Planned Giving at Stanford University to Angie Cicero and her doctor Joann Falkenburg, MD, Kara Wertheimer complains that Stanford's School of Medicine cannot profit on the home that was given to Stanford, while Ms. Cicero resides there under current circumstances.

Additionally, Kara Wertheimer, the Deputy Director of Planned Giving at Stanford University writes that Stanford will not object to any actions taken by the trustee that are necessary to make the property productive, which will likely involve an eviction and sale of the property.

The trustee then followed up by taking action to evict Ms. Cicero with Stanford University’s full blessing. The law firm of Wendel, Rosen, Black and Dean was hired to evict Ms.Cicero, with the lead attorney being Gillian Ross.

As a result of the actions taken by trustee Cathy Stirling on behalf of Stanford University, Ms. Cicero now faces an imminent eviction from her long-time housing in Union City, and is expected to appear in an Oakland court room on Thursday June 17, at 9:00 a.m., in department 31 of the Alameda County Superior Court, to defend herself against the eviction.

Any assets or proceeds from the sale of the property are to go to Stanford's School of Medicine for medical research, after Ms. Cicero is evicted from the home that was freely given to Stanford University.

According to the Office of the Assessor in Alameda County, the home Ms. Cicero resides in is valued at around $445,000.

Facing terminal Stage IV cancer, which most recently spread to her lymph nodes, Ms. Cicero has no children and faces the imminent eviction and homelessness, though her dying wish is to remain in her familiar long-time housing so that she may die in peace, without being tossed out onto the cold hearted streets of Alameda County.

“I am extremely disappointed in Stanford University’s behavior,” says Anne Tamiko Omura, the Executive Director of the Eviction Defense Center, which is defending Ms. Cicero’s eviction.  “This house was a gift.  Yes, the value of the gift is diminished by the fact that it came occupied by a long-term, elderly, frail, terminally ill tenant.  But, it was a gift nonetheless. The humane thing to do would be to let Ms. Cicero die in her home, not on the streets, then graciously accept the house as another asset to be added to Stanford University’s portfolio.” 
When Ms. Cicero received word that the trustee was moving to evict her on June 17, 2010, she broke down sobbing.  “I’m so scared.  I’m so scared,” she repeated.  “Where am I going to go?  What is going to happen to me?”   Unless Stanford University backs down, the answers to those questions may be very grim.

The 77 year old cancer patient who lives on a very-low fixed income like many other senior citizens, has come under attack from Stanford's wealthy endowment, fundraising and gift planning sector at the university.

In 2008-09 Stanford raised $640.1 million from 70,509 donors, has an endowment of $12.6 billion as of as of August 2009, and accepts estates and properties that have been given freely through Stanford's Planned Giving department, resulting in assets and financial support for the university’s mission of teaching, learning and research, in addition to tuition fees, grants, and other additional sources of funding for the university.

In addition to being the Deputy Director of the Planned Giving office at Stanford, Kara Wertheimer also holds a Masters Program Chair with the Northern California Planned Giving Council.

Northern California Planned Giving Council

http://www.ncpgcouncil.org/ncpgc/council-leadership.html

Additionally, Chris Yates is the Director of the Planned Giving office at Stanford University, and is a board member of the National Committee on Planned Giving.

National Committee on Planned Giving

http://www.ncpg.org/about/08board.asp?section=2

As a huge and powerful industry, individual charitable giving in 2009 amounted to $217.3 billion, and in the case of Angie Cicero, Stanford University and it's members from the Planned Giving office, have no qualms about making a profit by the eviction of a 77 year old widow with cancer, from her long-time housing of nearly 25 years.
Ms. Cicero now faces an imminent eviction from her long-time housing in Union City, in an Oakland court room on Thursday June 17, at 9:00 a.m., in department 31 of the Alameda County Superior Court.

If Ms. Cicero's defense of her eviction does not go well on Thursday June 17, an appointment for a jury trial is schedule for Friday June 18, in Alameda County Superior Court.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com