Mama June Accuses Late Daughter’s Ex Of Physical Abuse in Custody Battle Over 11-Year-Old Daughter
Jan. 16 2024, Published 5:59 p.m. ET
Mama June asked a court to dismiss the custody lawsuit brought by her late daughter’s ex — and accused him of being abusive to her daughter while they were together.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the reality star responded to the case brought by Michael Cardwell over custody of Anna’s 11-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn.
Michael and Anna share an 8-year-old daughter named Kylee. Michael is NOT Kaitlyn's biological father.
In his suit, Michael asked the court to award him custody of Kaitlyn. He argued the sisters should not be separated following their mother’s death.
Michael claimed to have raised Kaitlyn as his own and even paid for her education.
Kylee has lived with Michael since Anna’s death. Kaitlyn has lived with Mama June.
As RadarOnline.com first reported, Mama June was awarded temporary custody of her late daughter’s daughter last month.
June filed an emergency petition in Georgia court days after Anna passed away following a battle with cancer.
In her paperwork, June said that the identity of the 11-year-old’s father was “unknown.” Her filing added, “The child does not have a legal father.”
“More recently, approximately one month before her passing the mother and child began residing with [June],” the filing read.
June claimed she is not “aware of any interested parties other than herself that would have standing to seek custody of the child.”
The court granted June temporary custody but set a hearing to determine whether to make the order permanent.
The petition was filed days after Michael filed his petition.
Now, June asked the court to dismiss Michael’s petition. The Sun was the first to report on the filing.
She claimed that Kylee would often not want to visit Michael unless Kaitlyn came with her.
- Ex of Mama June’s Late Daughter Anna Cardwell Intervenes in Reality Star’s Custody Case After She Accused Him of Abuse
- Biological Father of Mama June's Late Daughter Anna's 11-Year-Old Not Interested in Fighting For Custody
- Mama June Awarded Temporary Custody of Late Daughter Anna Cardwell’s 11-Year-Old Child as Court Battle Heats Up
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Michael Cartwright shared one daughter, 8-year-old Kylee, with Anna Cartwright and said he acted as Kaitlyn's biological dad.
June claimed that “while Kaitlyn did sometimes accompany her sibling, the visits were infrequent. When [Michael] resided in Alabama, he only visited with Kaitlyn at most once per month, sometimes going three (3) months between visits.”
In his petition, Michael claimed Anna had a “very sorted relationship” with June throughout her life and went through various periods without speaking to her. He claimed June’s presence in Kaitlyn’s life has been “inconsistent.”
June denied the claims.
Her response argued, “Outside of one short period of disagreement, [June] and Anna had a stable parent-child relationship. Kaitlin has spent her childhood regularly seeing and spending time with [June]. On the other hand, [Michael] has been an inconsistent presence in the child’s life since at least 2017.”
June said Michael has had “sporadic contact” with the child.
Regarding Michael’s claim he paid for Kaitlyn’s education, June said she, “believes that [Michael] paid for tuition for the child at Happy Hollow for approximately two and a half years in exchange for not paying any child support for his other child. The child is no longer enrolled at Happy Hollow.”
June said Anna’s widower, Eldridge Toney, “has been the only father figure to the child since a few months after [Michael] and Anna separated in 2017.”
“During his marriage to Anna, [Michael] frequently physically abused Anna and the child and it would not be in the child’s best interests to be in [Michael’s] care and control,” June said.
Michael Carwell’s attorney Donald Lewis Roberts tells RadarOnline.com, “Michael denies these allegations. This is the first time that any of these allegations have been made against him. He and Anna had a great relationship when they were married and simply separated due to differences in opinions and personalities.”
He continued, “They managed to get along throughout the divorce as well and had maintained a good relationship with his family and him. They’ve always stuck together for their children, and we will see what proof Ms. Shannon has for these types of claims, these very serious claims, to make on somebody --- if she has any proof at all.”
A judge has yet to rule.