4-year-old Leah Ashley Johnson's father, Eric Johnson, died Oct. 31 in a car crash near Wyndmere, N.D. Her mother, Heather Johnson, died in a car crash in Rhode Island in November 2005.At the time of her mother’s death, Leah Johnson’s parents were in the process of getting a divorce.
Now, the little girl is caught in the middle of another family rift.
On the day of her father’s funeral, Leah Johnson’s maternal grandmother, Dale Campbell arrived at the funeral home with a lawyer and court papers.
The papers granted Campbell temporary guardianship of Leah.
Campbell filed papers in Cass County District Court on Nov. 6 seeking temporary guardianship of Leah pending a hearing to determine permanent guardianship.
The papers included a copy of Heather Johnson’s will, which stated that if anything happened to her she wanted her mother to care for Leah.
According to court papers, Eric Johnson did not have a will.
Campbell's attorney, Jason Loos: "the case is an example of why it’s a good idea for parents to have a will that spells out their wishes for child guardianship."
Eric Johnson's mother, Alice Mayer: "You lose your son, but to tell you the truth, losing Leah the way this lady did it is way harder. We raised Leah since the time she was 16 months old."
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Grandparents at odds over custody of 4-year-old orphan
3 comments:
What this child doesn't need is another emotional rollercoaster.
How tragic. It's hard for young people to imagine their lives ending in this manner. When our son was born over 30 years ago, my husband and I retained a lawyer immediately to update our wills including care of our son if something awful happened one of us or to both of us. We were prepared but as it turned out, fortunately we did not need those legal documents.
Sadly, sometimes it's about the power and control. I hate to wonder if there are assets and/or property involved that might also be a reason for this situation. All of us have to answer to God in the end, but while on earth some people sure know how to make other's lives - hell on earth.
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