Wife of ex-Board of Education member wins round in guardianship fight

A Family Court judge today sided with a 21-year-old woman with cerebral palsy who wants to remove a limited guardianship over her Social Security.

Court-appointed guardians and a lawyer for her mother had argued that Sharona Dagani actually needed more guardianship supervision, not less, because of reckless and immature behavior shown by Dagani and her husband, Greg Dagani.

Her husband was formerly known as Greg Nance when he was a member of the Nevada Board of Education.

The couple gained notoriety for disrupting board meetings with public displays of affection in the summer. After a public uproar, Greg Dagani resigned from the board that sets education policies for Nevada.

Guardianship Commissioner Jon Norheim indicated that he was uncomfortable with his decision, saying the case of Sharona Dagani “worries me” and “keeps me up at night.”

She has been kicked out of group homes for disobeying rules and accused of giving false information to Social Security administrators.

“She makes really bad decisions,” Norheim said. “But I can’t look at the problem and then work backwards (to make a legal ruling).”

Norheim also said he felt legally bound by new psychiatric evaluations by Drs. Gregory Brown and Jill Margolis declaring Sharona Dagani to be mentally competent.

Because Sharona Dagani was not cooperating with her limited guardianship, the judge said it made little sense to continue the court protections.

Scott Cantor, the lawyer for Sharona Dagani’s mother, Joan Albstein, said outside of court that he would contest the recommendation to remove the guardianship, which still must go before a district judge for review.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.