Opinion ID: 2145303
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Law as Applied in This Case.

Text: As previously noted, the probate court refused these grandparents' petition to establish a guardianship and to appoint them as guardians. The court considered the relative strengths and weaknesses of the grandparents as compared to those of Kurt and Sheila and concluded that the grandparents had failed to overcome the presumption in favor of natural parents as guardians. The court's refusal to establish a guardianship is not an issue in this certiorari action. The issue is simply whether, on any of the three bases set out above, these grandparents are entitled to forced visitation. First, this is not a juvenile case, so the authority of a juvenile court recognized in In re K.R., 537 N.W.2d at 777, to order grandparent visitation is not applicable. And, as the probate court acknowledged, these grandparents do not qualify for visitation rights under our grandparent visitation statute, Iowa Code § 598.35, because they do not meet any of the grounds set out in the statute. [1] The court granted visitation to the grandparents solely on the ground that a court in a guardianship proceeding has such authority, citing Ankeney and In re Guardianship of Stewart, 369 N.W.2d 820 (Iowa 1985). Ankeney, however, made it clear that its holding was limited to guardianship proceedings in which the custodial parent, as guardian, was subject to the power of the guardianship court to enter orders in the best interests of the child, including an order for grandparent visitation. Ankeney, 360 N.W.2d at 737. As Ankeney stated, the ruling applied only to the limited facts of this case. Id. at 735. The present case does not present such facts. The primary-care parent was not under the control of the guardianship court, and in fact the establishment of a guardianship had been denied. The court also relied on Stewart, a case in which grandparent visitation was ordered by the probate court as a part of an order terminating the guardianship. Stewart, however, is not dispositive; grandparent visitation was not raised as an issue on that appeal. Because the order lacked support under our cases or the grandparent visitation statute, Iowa Code § 598.35, we conclude that the court lacked authority to enter an order for visitation. Accordingly, we sustain the writ of certiorari. WRIT SUSTAINED.