Case Name: In the Matter of Pamela Jean MEEK. Patricia CURTIS, Respondent-Appellant, v. Thelma J. COLEMAN, Petitioner-Appellee
Court: Court of Appeals of Indiana
Jurisdiction: Indiana
Decision Date: 1983-01-12
Citations: 443 N.E.2d 890
Docket Number: No. 1-1082A309
Parties: In the Matter of Pamela Jean MEEK. Patricia CURTIS, Respondent-Appellant, v. Thelma J. COLEMAN, Petitioner-Appellee.
Judges: RATLIFF and NEAL, JJ., concur.
Reporter: North Eastern Reporter 2d
Volume: 443
Pages: 890–891

Head Matter:
In the Matter of Pamela Jean MEEK. Patricia CURTIS, Respondent-Appellant, v. Thelma J. COLEMAN, Petitioner-Appellee.
No. 1-1082A309.
Court of Appeals of Indiana, First District.
Jan. 12, 1983.
Carmen Brummet, J. Mark Robinson, Legal Services Organization of Indiana, Inc., New Albany, for respondent-appellant.
Frank E. Newkirk, Jr., Salem, for petitioner-appellee.

Opinion:
ROBERTSON, Presiding Judge.
The sole issue raised in this interlocutory appeal is whether a maternal grandmother can obtain court ordered visitation rights with her granddaughter pursuant to the provisions of Ind.Code 31-1-11.7-2. Under the facts of this case, we hold that she cannot.
The statute permits the court to order grandparent visitation in two instances; one where a parent is deceased and the other being where the parent's marriage has been dissolved. Neither situation exists here.
As Judge Neal recently stated in the case of In Re: The Visitation of J.O., (1982) Ind.App., 441 N.E.2d 991:
As a court, we are constrained to uphold the plain meaning of the statute and to carry out the true intent of the legislature. . Thompson v. Thompson, (1972) 259 Ind. 266, 286 N.E.2d 657; In the Matter of the Estate of Wisely, (1980) Ind.App., 402 N-E.2d 14. We hold that the Grandparent's Visitation Statute limits third-party grandparents seeking visitation rights to the above-described two instances, .
The trial court erred in setting aside its ruling on summary judgment.
Judgment reversed.
RATLIFF and NEAL, JJ., concur.