Gary Coleman and Shannon Price Divorce: Did Shannon Price Make Unauthorized Medical Decisions

According to People.com, an attorney named Randy Kester has confirmed that Shannon Price and Gary Coleman were no longer married, to the best of his knowledge. Mr. Kester says that he handled the divorce and to keep it on the down low, they even used the particular aliases, John Doe and Jane Doe, that attorneys use when they don't know the name of someone they are suing.

"I can confirm they've been divorced since August 12, 2008," Kester told People, "At the time of Gary's death, they were not married. I have no knowledge if they were ever remarried."

ET Online posted some documents online showing a divorce that Kester did indeed handle in Utah where the petitioner and respondent were the Does and they were divorced on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.

Since Shannon Price is the one who gave permission to take 42-year-old Gary Coleman off life support, this obviously could present a problem for the 24-year-old Miss Price unless she can produce some documentation giving her authority to make medical decisions for Gary Coleman.

Her representative, Shielia Erickson, responded to the question of whether the couple had remarried in secret: "I wish I could clear that up ... I'm still waiting to find out myself from Shannon." She did say that Shannon Price and Gary Coleman were still a couple in the sense that they "needed each other and loved each other."

Janet Frank, a spokeswoman for the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center said "We're definitely concerned about this and we're looking into what exactly happened here." She indicated that Miss Price told the staff and doctors that she was Coleman's wife and they assumed she was being truthful. "We can't comment on specific details in Mr. Coleman's case, but in general, any patient on life support is thoroughly evaluated medically before life support is ended," she said.

Randy Kester also said that it was possible Gary signed papers at the hospital giving Shannon permission to make medical decisions for him. "... whether he did, I don't know," the attorney said.

Gary Coleman has not been talking to his own parents for over a decade. Shannon Price's brother, however, did communicate with them regarding the funeral plans. Gary Coleman's mother, Sue, said she doesn't have enough information to comment on the divorce revelations but does want to attend Gary's funeral.

Erickson said that she and Shannon are looking at Gary's will to make sure his wishes are complied with but they are not trying to exclude his relatives: "We're looking at Gary's wishes in the will and also what the family wants," she said. "Shannon's only goal is to make sure his wishes are accomplished."

There is also a possibility that When Gary Coleman made his Last Will and Testament, he may have signed a medical power of attorney. If it named Shannon Price and was never revoked, whether they were divorced may have no bearing on the situation.

Sources: Embedded