Guardian might be ordered for ex-board of education member’s wife

A 21-year-old woman with cerebral palsy was found naked in bed with the "foul stench of feces and urine" emanating from the bedroom of her small apartment, according to testimony given by the woman's court-appointed guardians in Clark County Family Court today.

Sharona Dagani, who is wheelchair-bound and could not access the bathroom by herself, was often left alone by her 50-year-old husband, Greg Dagani, a former member of the Nevada Board of Education, according to Elyse Tyrell, the guardian ad litem, and Shelley Krohn, a lawyer representing Sharona Dagani's estate.

Greg Dagani, formerly known as Greg Nance, quit the state Board of Education in August after disrupting a public meeting to kiss and make out with his new wife Sharona Dagani.

Court-appointed guardians cited immature and negligent behavior by the couple as reasons against granting Sharona Dagani's request to remove the guardian over her estate, which includes her government entitlements like Social Security and a trust fund set up from the proceeds of $2 million settlement in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

David Phillips, Sharona Dagani's lawyer, argued that she was entitled to her money as a married adult.

But Clark County Guardian Commissioner John Norheim said Phillips was new to the three-year-old case and unaware of much of the facts.

Norheim said Dagani already has the freedom to make her own decisions. He was not willing to grant her more control over her finances until she could demonstrate an understanding of how money from Medicaid and Social Security is supposed to be spent.

Once that happens, Norheim said "I will end the guardianship like that."

"I'm not really anxious to hang onto this (case)," Norheim said.

Sharona Dagani's access to her trust fund is also restricted to protect the assets and maintain her eligibility for Social Security, family and court officials said.

But the young woman does not seem to understand the "reality of the situation. She just makes demands and expects them to be met," said estate attorney Krohn in a court filing.

Sharona Dagani was also accused of passing fraudulent information to the Social Security administration and not keeping her court-appointed guardians informed of her whereabouts.

The Dagani couple also has a history of "vanishing" or getting evicted from group homes, the guardians said. The Daganis were accused of ransacking a former apartment by splattering ketchup and leaving a filthy toilet, Tyrell said.

After listening to the testimony, Norheim said he wanted Sharona Dagani to be evaluated by psychiatrists, who would determine whether a "guardian over her person" should be appointed. He continued the case until early 2009.

That guardian would have much more control over her affairs, said Joan Albstein, Sharona Dagani's mother.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction," Albstein told the Review-Journal. She has experienced three years of anguish since her daughter separated from her at age 18 to go out her own.

In court, Albstein's attorney Scott Cantor said that Greg Dagani seems to be one in a "series" of people with undue influence over the young woman's life.

Norheim expressed regret over Sharona Dagani's decisions, noting her family had once set her up with an apartment.

Outside court, the Daganis dismissed the allegations against them as "lies."

Sharona Dagani said she was capable of making her own decisions, noting that she graduated from high school at 16 and attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Greg Dagani accused his mother-in-law of conspiring against his wife because she is upset that her daughter abandoned Judaism to become a born again Christian, which Albstein denied.

Sharona Dagani " knows the grace of freedom," her husband said.

Sharona Dagani's motorized wheelchair has two bumper stickers, "Vote Pro-Life" and "I know I am a princess, my father is the King of Kings."

A recent widower whose previous wife died a year ago, Greg Dagani said he always take his wives' last name to distance himself from his birth family, which he described as "polygamists."

He also said the couple now lives comfortably in a three-bedroom house. He said they are living on his income, but wouldn't say what he is doing to earn a living. He did say he has suffered three heart attacks over a year and recently hurt his back when his wife's wheelchair backed into him.

The couple told the Review-Journal that they want to have a child together.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-799-2922.