Following the passing of her daughter Anna Cardwell, Mama June secures custody of 12-year-old Kaitlyn in a court decision.
Mama June Shannon has been granted custody of her granddaughter, Kaitlyn, following a lengthy legal dispute with her former son-in-law, Michael Cardwell. The decision comes in the wake of the tragic death of Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, who passed away in December 2023 after battling stage 4 adrenal carcinoma. Anna left behind her two daughters, Kaitlyn, 12, and Kylee, 8.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, a Georgia judge awarded full custody of Kaitlyn to Shannon on Friday, September 20. The judge’s decision concludes a legal dispute initiated by Michael Cardwell, who sought custody and visitation rights for his stepdaughter. Though Michael is not Kaitlyn’s biological father, he had been in a relationship with Anna since Kaitlyn was an infant.
The judge noted that despite spending extended periods with Michael and her younger sister Kylee over the past year, including a five-week stay, Michael did not provide “any significant financial support” for Kaitlyn. The court’s ruling also highlighted testimony from a family therapist, who said Kaitlyn “fears being taken away” from her grandmother and expressed her desire to remain with Shannon.
“Legal and physical custody of the minor child is to remain with the Defendant [Shannon], and Plaintiff [Michael] will have no right to visitation unless expressly agreed upon by the parties and the minor child,” the court documents stated.
Shannon had been granted temporary custody of Kaitlyn earlier in the year as the legal proceedings unfolded, with Michael arguing that Anna’s two daughters, Kaitlyn and Kylee, should not be separated. In his initial filings, he also claimed that Shannon and Anna had a strained relationship. In response, Shannon alleged that Michael had been abusive during his marriage to Anna and that Kaitlyn would be better off staying with her.
Michael’s attorney, however, denied the abuse allegations, telling InTouch that “Michael denies these allegations. This is the first time any of these allegations have been made against him. He and Anna had a great relationship when they were married and separated due to differences in opinions and personalities.”
Shannon had been vocal about her intentions to secure custody of Kaitlyn, even before Anna’s passing. In a June 2024 episode of Mama June: Family Crisis, Shannon expressed concerns about the separation of Kaitlyn and Kylee while Anna was undergoing cancer treatment. She stated that Kaitlyn needed stability, which she believed she could provide, especially as Anna had expressed a preference for her husband, Eldridge Toney, to take custody of the girls.
“Kaitlyn will be better off with me because there is stability,” Shannon said on the show. She also highlighted that Toney had been a presence in Kaitlyn’s life since she was around five years old. Anna and Toney began their relationship in 2017, and the couple married in March 2023, shortly after Anna’s cancer diagnosis.
The court’s final ruling ensures Kaitlyn remains with her grandmother, providing some stability for the family following a difficult and emotional period.
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