Norman Baker, who was featured in a previous Free Press article, is no longer under a court appointed guardianship. The case has been settled amicably and Mr. Baker is now living on his own in Ohio.
A retired firefighter, Baker now 82, found himself under guardianship in 2005. The Free Press article "How An Unwanted Guardianship Cost a Firefighter his Freedom & His Fortune" circulated previously on the internet.

The Fairfield County Probate Court has now terminated the guardianship, restoring Mr. Baker to competency and allowing him to regain his freedom and independence after nearly four years. Mr Baker had unsuccessfully challenged the validity of the guardianship in both the Fairfield County Probate Court and then in the Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals. He had also filed with the Ohio Supreme Court an accusation that the Probate Judge assigned to his case was biased against him. That challenge was summarily dismissed by Chief Justice Thomas Moyer.

Guardianship is a complex field of practice which often results when there are no advanced directives in place such as a Durable Power of Attorney to avoid the guardianship process. Mr. Baker was represented by attorneys Steven D. Rowe, Susan Wasserman and Lewis E. Williams of Columbus, Ohio. Attorney Susan Wasserman is a National Master Guardian, certified by the Center for Guardianship Certification.