Grandmother denied protection order against grandchildren’s mother as judge says she is not ‘family’; US appeals court overturns decision

A grandmother raising her two grandchildren can seek a civil protection order against their biological mother after a Washington, DC, appeals court ruled that their relationship qualifies as familial under local law. In 'Allen v. Whitehead', the District of Columbia Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s dismissal of Fonda Allen’s petition, holding that her blood relationship to the children and her legal custody of them, considered together, were sufficient to establish the required family connection. The court’s opinion was decided on September 3, 2026, while an amended judgment was entered on October 19, according to the court record published by Justia and the District of Columbia Courts.Allen, the children’s paternal grandmother, had been awarded permanent sole legal and physical custody of her two grandchildren following a custody dispute. Their biological mother, Tamieka Whitehead, retained the right to monthly supervised visits. The grandmother subsequently sought a civil protection order against Whitehead, alleging multiple incidents of verbal abuse and harassment, including an episode in which the mother allegedly banged loudly on her front door, shouted obscenities ...