Mama June Shannon is gearing up for a custody fight after the death of her 29-year-old daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, earlier this month. Anna passed away on Dec. 9 following almost a year-long battle with cancer, and her ex-husband, Michael Cardwell, is now suing Shannon for custody of his late ex-wife’s eldest daughter from a previous relationship.
Michael, who is the biological father of Anna’s 8-year-old daughter, Kylee, is requesting custody of 11-year-old Kaitlyn, arguing in legal documents obtained by The Sun that he has already “fully and completely undertaken a permanent, unequivocal, committed, and responsible parental role” of Kaitlyn. Michael alleges that he has “engaged in consistent caretaking of the child and established a bonded and dependent relationship with the child,” and was encouraged by Anna even after their separation in 2017. Michael also revealed that he has been paying for Kaitlyn’s education.ย
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Michael also said in the legal documents that Kaitlyn’s biological father, Caleb Clark, was not involved in his daughter’s life and had never taken a DNA test proving he was her father, stripping him of any legal rights to become Kaitlyn’s guardian. Michael also claimed that Anna had a difficult relationship with her mother over the years, being raised by her grandmother from the age of 8 to 17, when she returned to Shannon’s home.ย
“Anna has had a very sordid relationship with her mother throughout her life and went various periods of time without speaking to her,” he wrote, adding, “Likewise, June’s presence in the minor child’s life has been inconsistent.” He concluded in his filing, “Petitioner is the only living person that has shown a constant and continuous interest in the child’s minor child’s well-being, and being in the custody of the petitioner will be in the child’s best interest.”
Mama June told TMZ Monday that she had yet to be served with any legal papers but can “see [Michael] in court.” The Here Comes Honey Boo Boo alum claimed Kaitlyn wants to stay with her and that a custody change would be “going against her wishes” as well as the wishes of her late daughter. “At the end of the day, the girls have lost their mother so why put them through this,” she told the outlet. Prior to her passing, Anna married boyfriend Eldridge Toney on March 4.ย
