My Mother Filed For Financial Conservatorship Over Me A Year Ago Without My Knowledge, And Every Part Of Her Petition Is False.

This time last year, I was living in a motel room with my partner and our cats. I was using fentanyl, and doing everything I could to stabilize my living situation so I could get into treatment. My mother took it upon herself to file for financial conservatorship over me without my knowledge, so she could prevent me from receiving a large legal settlement that would have enabled me to turn my entire life around. She believed that she was helping me. She was trying to force me to go back home to NJ (I am 31 years old and have lived in CO for over ten years) and go to inpatient rehab. I wanted to get off the streets, and go to outpatient so I could work and keep on with my life.

Her petition for emergency conservatorship was 13 pages long, claimed that I was diagnosed with substance abuse disorder, and that I was using several illicit drugs. She also claimed that I was choosing to be homeless and refusing the help my family was offering me. She also made it sound like my drug use has gone on for almost a decade, when it was only for a few years. No such substance use disorder diagnosis existed, I was only using fentanyl, and I had every intention of using the money to stabilize my living situation and get the treatment I needed. My lawyer barely helped me at all, and convinced me to compromise with her instead of contesting the conservatorship. She coerced me into agreeing to it by saying that we could never have a relationship again if I fought her.

A year later, I have been clean for months. I have to fight her for every single dollar I need, even when it comes to necessities. She refuses to let me replace my vehicle so I can get a job and finish furnishing my house, and every attempt I make at trying to reconnect with my family is met with animosity and them treating me like total crap. My partner has been a far better support system than any of them, and was instrumental in me getting clean and staying clean- yet they refuse to even acknowledge him or treat him like a human because they blame him for my initial drug use. My whole life has been on standstill, and 2/3 of the money from the settlement has been spent against my wishes. I cannot even get a job to help pay for rent or anything because I am not allowed to have a vehicle.

Can I get a new state appointed lawyer and contest the conservatorship and have it terminated? Based on the fact that all of the information in the petition was false? The only supporting "evidence" she provided was two text messages taken completely out of context. My lawyer had given me the impression that she had well-documented evidence. I was more concerned with stabilizing my living situation at the time otherwise I would have contested the conservatorship from the start. I even have a diagnosis of PTSD from a therapist, the root cause of which is my mother's overbearing and controlling parenting which has extended far into my adult life.

All I wanted to do was get off the streets and get clean and get back to my life - I have been a successful music teacher and performer since I was 18 years old. She wrote in her petition that I had given up on my career and had no interest in returning to it- all lies. And I am the one being treated like the liar. I need to have this terminated so I can do what I need to do to put my life back together and mitigate things with my family - the right way.