Mama June Shannon Wins Custody of Anna Cardwell’s Daughter Kaitlyn After Lengthy Court Battle

Anna died in December 2023, leaving behind 12-year-old Kaitlyn, as well as 8-year-old daughter Kylee

Mama June Shannon has gained custody of her daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s daughter Kaitlyn after a lengthy court battle with her former son-in-law Michael Cardwell.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Shannon was awarded custody of her 12-year-old granddaughter by a Georgia judge on Friday, Sept. 20. InTouch was the first to report the news.

The judge ruled that the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star, 45, would be granted full custody of Kaitlyn, after Michael — who is not the child’s father but began dating Anna in 2013 when Kaitlyn was 8 months old — filed to regain custody and visitation of his stepdaughter in December 2023.

Anna died at age 29 on Dec. 9, 2023, following a diagnosis of stage 4 adrenal carcinoma. She left behind Kaitlyn, whom she welcomed during a previous relationship, and 8-year-old daughter Kylee, whom she shared with Michael.

A Wilkinson County judge wrote in the ruling that while Kaitlyn did sometimes spend time with her sister Kylee while in Michael’s custody and stayed with him for as long as five weeks at a time this past year, “[Michael] never provided any significant financial support for this child [Kaitlyn].”

Additionally, the court documents state that a family therapist testified that Kaitlyn “fears being taken away from” Shannon and “expressed a desire to stay” with her grandmother.

“Legal and physical custody of the minor child is to remain with the Defendant [Shannon] and Plaintiff [Michael] will have no right to visitation as such, unless otherwise expressly agreed to by the parties and the minor child,” the judge wrote.

Shannon was awarded temporary custody of Kaitlyn earlier this year as the court proceedings continued, InTouch reported.

In Michael’s initial filings, he argued that Anna’s two daughters shouldn’t be separated, and claimed that Shannon and Anna had a difficult relationship. In her own suit asking for custody of Kaitlyn, Shannon alleged that Michael had been abusive to Anna during their marriage, and stated that it was in Kaitlyn’s best interest to continue living with her, per InTouch.

Michael’s attorney denied the abuse claims, telling the outlet in a statement: “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.”

Shannon has long been candid about her wish to have custody of Kaitlyn, even before Anna’s death. In a June 2024 episode of Mama June: Family Crisis, as Anna was in the midst of her cancer treatment, Shannon told her daughter she was worried about Kylee and Kaitlyn being split up.

“Kaitlyn will be better off with me, because there is stability,” Shannon said, after Anna had previously expressed a desire for her husband Eldridge Toney to gain custody of both girls. “But Eldridge has been in Kaitlyn’s life since she was around 5 years old. Honestly, she needs to put this s— on paper.”

Anna and Toney began dating in 2017 following her divorce from Michael. They got married in March 2023, shortly after learning of Anna’s cancer diagnosis.