Estates and trusts: guardianships.

Existing law terminates the guardianship of a ward upon the death, adoption, or emancipation of the ward, as specified. Existing law specifies that the termination of the guardian-ward or conservator-conservatee relationship does not cause the court to lose jurisdiction of the proceeding for, among other things, the purpose of settling the accounts of the guardian or conservator, as specified. Existing law also confers upon a guardian or conservator a continued duty of custody and conservation of the estate after the death of the ward or conservatee pending the delivery of the estate to the personal representative of the ward's or conservatee's estate or other disposition according to law. Existing law, upon the death of a ward or conservatee, authorizes the guardian or conservator to, among other things, contract for and pay a reasonable sum for the expenses of the last illness and the disposition of the remains of the deceased ward or conservatee and for other specified unpaid fees. This bill would revise the former provision to include a cross-reference to the latter provisions, such that the guardianship of the estate of the ward would terminate upon the death of the ward, except as otherwise provided by the latter provisions described above or as otherwise provided by law.