Mama June wins custody of 12-year-old granddaughter

Mama June has won full custody of her 12-year-old granddaughter, Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn is the daughter of Mama June's late daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell, who died in December 2023 from stage four adrenal carcinoma, aged 29.

The result follows a custody battle with Kaitlyn's stepfather Michael Cardwell. He was Anna's ex-husband and the father of her second daughter, Kylee, eight.

Michael and Anna started seeing each other when Kaitlyn was eight months old, and they divorced in 2017. In March 2023, after her diagnosis, Anna married her new boyfriend Eldridge Toney. It's been reported that she wanted him to have custody of both her children after she died.

"Kaitlyn will be better off with me, because there is stability. But Eldridge has been in Kaitlyn's life since she was around 5 years old," Mama June said last year.

A judge ruled that Michael hadn't given "any significant financial support" to Kaitlyn in the past year, which led to the decision to grant custody to Mama June.

A therapist also gave evidence to say Kaitlyn wanted to remain with her grandmother, saying the 12-year-old "fears being taken away" from Mama June and "expressed a desire to stay" with her.

Mama June had previously accused Michael of "being abusive" towards her daughter. His lawyer responded with a statement, saying, "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."

Now the custody ruling has been delivered, Michael will need permission from Mama June to see Kaitlyn.