As we reported earlier this month, Anna Cardwell’s ex=husband is suing Mama June Shannon for custody of Anna’s eldest daughter.
This is a complex topic. He is only the father of one of Anna’s girls, but they both knew him for most of their lives.
June has filed her own response in court, citing several reasons that she believes that Kaitlyn belongs with her.
Additionally, she
On Monday, December 18, Mama June Shannon filed papers seeking sole legal and physical custody of 11-year-old Kaitlyn Clark.
In Touch Weekly got a hold of the documents in question.
June already has emergency guardianship of Kaitlyn. She received that on December 15 after daughter Anna Cardwell passed away from her adrenal carcinoma on December 9.
Naturally, June is arguing that she is the most fit parent to care for Kaitlyn. She argues that it would be as easy of a transition as it can be for a girl who just lost her mom.
“Since the mother’s passing, child has remained in the care, custody and control of Petitioner,” her court documents read.
June adds: “Petitioner previously had temporary guardianship of the child.”
“More recently, approximately one month before passing, the mother and child began residing with Petitioner,” June then reveals in her filing.
The same argument adds that June is “not aware of any interested parties other than herself that would have standing to seek custody of the child.”
Which means that anyone interested has no standing (according to June) and that anyone who might have standing has no interest.
Just one day earlier, Michael filed his paperwork seeking custody of Kaitlyn.
Again, Michael is not her biological father. And it does not appear that he ever legally adopted her during his marriage to Anna.
However, Kaitlyn’s alleged father was a man named Caleb Clark. Thus far, there is no DNA evidence tying him to Kaitlyn. And he had no involvement with Kaitlyn’s life.
Michael asserted in his court documents that he had “fully and completely undertaken a permanent, unequivocal, committed, and responsible parental role” with Kaitlyn.
He added that he had “engaged in consistent caretaking of the child and established a bonded and dependent relationship with the child.”
Notably, he says that he would take Kaitlyn alongside Kylee, his biological daughter, during the latter’s custody visits.
Kylee is only 8 years old. She had her birthday earlier this month. It is likely the worst of her life.
Michael has also alleged that he is paying for Kaitlyn’s education.
(It’s unclear what that means, exactly. We do not have detailed information about the girls’ schooling)
Michael also highlighted the years of estrangement between June and Anna, and how Anna spent about half of her childhood with her grandmother — not with her (extremely young) mother.
“Anna has been raised by her maternal grandmother in Griffin, Georgia, since she was approximately ?8 years old and only returned to the home of June Shannon when she was 17,” he noted.
“Anna has had a very sordid relationship with her mother throughout her life and went various periods of time without speaking to her,” Michael understated. “Likewise, June’s presence in the minor child’s life has been inconsistent.”
As we previously reported, Michael claimed that he “is the only living person that has shown a constant and continuous interest in the minor child’s well-being.”
He continued: “and being in the custody of the petitioner will be in the child’s best interest.”
The court, of course, will determine that. This is a complex matter. We hope that everyone involved has Kaitlyn’s best interests at heart.