Jay Leno is seeking a conservatorship for his wife of 43 years, Mavis, who’s living with dementia.
The filing, obtained was made in Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 26. Paperwork initiated on Nov. 1, 2023, and signed by Leno on Nov. 17 said the conservatorship would be of Mavis’s estate, or finances, and not her person. It stated that the “sole purpose” of the legal arrangement is to establish a living trust for 77-year-old Mavis that ensures she has “managed assets sufficient to provide her with future care” if the former Tonight Show host dies before her.
A hearing is set for April 9 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in L.A. According to the capacity declaration signed by Dr. Hart Cohen on Nov. 28, Mavis should not be required to attend court hearings, due to her “medical inability.” She has “major impairment” when it comes to her orientation (knowing where she is), short- and long-term memory processing and concentration, the document states. She also experiences anxiety and depression, so mandating that she attend “would cause her undue stress, confusion, and anguish” and “be detrimental to her mental and physical health,” according to the doctor.
“There’s so much controversy around conservatorships — with the Cher one going on right now and obviously Britney [Spears] and Michael Oher,” California-based family law attorney Chris Melcher, a partner at Walzer Melcher & Yoda, tells of the legal arrangement, also known as a guardianship, in which a court appoints a person or organization to care for someone who has been ruled incapable of caring for themselves because of mental health issues, disability, advanced age or other reasons. “But this seems to be a standard situation. They’ve had a long marriage — over 40 years. … It seems beneficial. … It’s really sad to have a spouse have the inability to provide for her own needs, and it’s natural that the other spouse would do that.”