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We call upon Attorney General Rob Bonta, Alameda District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, and Congresswoman Lateefah Simon to enact a stay in the pending eviction of Zakiya Jendayi from her home and to pursue a full and independent investigation into the ruling that invalidated her dear friend Dr. Laura Head’s trust and will.  

The Alameda County Probate Court’s decision to invalidate the trust of Dr. Laura Head lacked any clear evidence and has resulted in six years (and counting) of hardship for Zakiya, Dr. Head’s trustee and sole beneficiary, including nearly losing her home during an aggressive eviction action by 19 sheriff’s deputies on August 25, 2026. Further, the decision raises questions as to the integrity of the probate system and its purpose of fair and legal management of a person’s property that upholds their wishes after they pass away.

The case must be investigated for its integrity and the question as to whether there was a pattern of material evidence being excluded, mischaracterized, contradicted, and disregarded in her case (and potentially in hundreds of others).  A full description of the court’s actions to interrogate are laid out here.  

Background: Ms. Zakiya Jendayi shared a 28-year relationship with Dr. Laura Head.  Ms. Jendayi was her student at SF State University, her mentee, sorority sister, and dear friend.  At the end of Dr. Head’s life, it was Ms. Jendayi who cared for her, including providing hospice care for her.  Before she passed in 2013, Dr. Head appointed Ms. Jendayi with power of attorney, advanced healthcare agent, trustee, executor, and sole beneficiary—roles established through properly executed legal documents and supported by legal and medical professionals.

Through the will and trust, Ms. Jendayi inherited a house in the Glenview neighborhood in Oakland.  Ms. Jendayi spent 4 years repairing and remodeling the house into a beautiful home where she resides and has paid property taxes for 12 years.

Seven years after Dr. Head’s passing, her two estranged siblings challenged the trust on unsubstantiated grounds that Dr. Head did not have capacity to make decisions and that Ms. Jendayi had committed forgery and had unduly influenced her. At the end of her life, Dr. Head saw over 10 separate doctors/healthcare professionals and had an entire hospice team. None of these professionals who worked with Dr. Head supported the claim that Dr. Head lacked the capacity or judgment to make healthcare or financial decisions.

ALTHOUGH THE COURT RULED THAT DR. HEAD HAD CAPACITY AND THERE WAS NO FORGERY, THE COURT FURTHER RULED THAT MS. JENDAYI DID UNDULY INFLUENCE DR. HEAD. Despite a general lack of sufficient evidence, the Alameda County probate court judge ruled in favor of the siblings, invalidating Dr. Head’s trust.  THE STATEMENT OF DECISION RULING IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE TRIAL TRANSCRIPTS.  

In invalidating the trust, the Court is evicting Ms. Jendayi from the home that she legally inherited and has been caring for and living in for 13 years.

Petition creators: Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya