In re Guardianship of Stevens
Annotate this CaseZacharia was born to Mother and Father in 2009. Because Mother was transient at the time of Zacharia’s birth, Zacharia began living with Mother’s grandparents, who became temporary guardians of Zacharia. In 2011, Mother filed a petition to terminate the guardianship. After a hearing, the probate court (1) denied Mother’s petition, concluding that Mother was unfit because she was unable to meet Zacharia’s needs; and (2) rejected the guardian ad litem’s and Zacharia’s mental health therapist’s recommendations that transitional efforts be put into place, either upon termination of the guardianship or under a continued guardianship. The Supreme Court vacated the judgment, holding that the probate court (1) abused its discretion in declining to implement transitional arrangements; and (2) committed clear error in finding Mother unfit because that finding was premised upon the court’s erroneous denial of transitional arrangements. Remanded.
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