Opinion ID: 2552144
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Youth-Court Proceeding

Text: ¶ 3. Baby Dennis was born on September 14, 2004. [1] One month later, the youth court held a shelter hearing based on evidence that Baby Dennis had tested positive for marijuana at birth. On November 16, 2004, the youth court adjudicated that Baby Dennis was neglected and awarded custody of the child to Richard Dennis (Richard), the maternal grandfather. The youth court granted Richard durable legal custody on December 13, 2005. Richard died in 2009. At the time, Bell was Richard's live-in companion. Finnegan agreed that Bell could have temporary custody of Baby Dennis. On May 19, 2009, the youth court entered a temporary order to that effect and set a review hearing to occur after one year. ¶ 4. In preparation for the review hearing, Finnegan filed in the youth court a Written Request for Release of Custody. [2] The review hearing was set for July 27, 2010. On advice of counsel, Bell and Morse, the maternal great-aunt, filed a petition for coguardianship in chancery court on July 26, 2010. [3] The chancery-court filing did not mention the pending youth-court matter. Bell and Morse appeared at the youth-court hearing and informed the youth court of their chancery-court filing. Bell and Morse then requested that the case be transferred to chancery court; Finnegan objected to the transfer. ¶ 5. The youth court determined that it would be in the child's best interest if the matter were transferred to chancery court. The youth court stated two supporting reasons for its decision: (a) the child has not resided with her mother since the child was a few days old; and (b) the chancery court is able to grant long-term relief to the parties and the youth court cannot grant long-term relief. Accordingly, the youth court entered an order transferring the custody case to chancery court and ordered that all youth-court orders were to remain in effect until the chancery court had rendered a decision.