Mitchell v. John Doe

Does a grandmother have standing to petition for visitation with a grandchild who has been adopted by strangers? The Superior Court, implicitly holding that there was such standing, granted the grandmother's discovery motions. We accepted discretionary review and now reverse, holding that a grandmother has no such standing.

The grandchild, H., went to live with her paternal grand mother, Virginia Mitchell, soon after her birth in 1973. A few months later, her natural mother died. When H. was 2, her father, Ms. Mitchell's son, took H. to California against Ms. Mitchell's wishes. Ultimately, H.…