Bezio v. Patenaude

The plaintiff, Brenda King, 1 appeals from a judgment of the Franklin County Probate and Family Court denying her petition to remove the defendant, Magdalena Patenaude, as guardian and to regain custody of her two natural children. The plaintiff’s application for direct appellate review to this court was granted. The judgment below is not supported by adequate findings as to the fitness of the mother. We reverse and remand. We summarize the facts and the proceedings below.

In January, 1971, Brenda King, then age seventeen, was introduced by a pastor of a local church to Magdalena Patenaude,…