Award-Winning 'Fatal Negligence' Explores Court-Appointed Guardianship Abuse

One in 10 Americans age 60 and older has experienced elder abuse, and only one in 24 cases is ever reported, per the National Council on Aging. An estimated 1.3 million adults live under court appointed guardianship in the United States, with about $50 billion in assets controlled by their guardians, as reported by the National Council on Disability. Fatal Negligence, a 22 minute dramatic thriller written, directed by and starring Juliette Fairley, drops the viewer inside that system. Inspired by true events, it follows Georgina Dillard, a daughter who has been barred from seeing her father for weeks. Ben Dillard, a partially blind retired military veteran, has been placed under the guardianship of his girlfriend. Behind closed doors he is being starved and denied the glaucoma medication that protects what remains of his sight. Desperate for answers, Georgina hires private investigator Larry Limine, who goes undercover and discovers that Ben’s isolation is no accident.

The film won the Signature Award for Best New Work at the 2026 Chain NYC Film Festival on Aug. 16 and now heads to Los Angeles for a seven day Oscar-qualifying theatrical run at the Laemmle theater in Santa Monica from Sept. 11 through Sept. 17, 2026.
"I made this film because families are living through this right now, and most of them have no idea it is legal," Fairley told the Associated Press. "A court can hand a stranger control of your parent's money, medical care and front door, and you can be turned away at the reception desk with no recourse."

Fairley stars as Georgina alongside Ajene D. Washington as Ben Dillard and Behzad Dabiri as Larry Limine. Marie Donna Davis and Deborah Bivens portray the staff who keep Georgina out. The production was filmed in April at an independent living facility in downtown Manhattan.

"Georgina's fight is the fight thousands of sons and daughters are having in probate courts across the country,"Fairley added. "I want audiences to leave angry enough to call their legislators."

Early coverage from NTD and Film Threat has singled out the film's timeliness with the latter describing the conservatorship abuse it depicts as sinister yet legal. Fairley's goal is to amplify the voices of exploited veterans and other victims of predatory guardianships nationwide and to build public pressure for reform.

Audiences will next see Fairley as Carol, a devoted mother confronting family turmoil, in the feature The Devil Is a Liar, which premieres Oct. 8, 2026 on Tubi and Amazon Prime.