Burnett and her husband of nearly 20 years, Brian Miller, have recently filed with the Superior Court in Los Angeles County to be temporary caregivers. The teen is the son of Burnett’s daughter, Erin Hamilton.
CNN does not name the youth because he is a minor.
In legal documents obtained by CNN, the couple claims that “In their entire adult lives, and since [her son’s] birth, Erin suffers from problems with severe substance abuse and addiction. “
CNN reached out to Hamilton for comment.
According to the petition, Burnett, now 87, was named “teacher rights holder” over her granddaughter in 2018. That authorized her to “make decisions about education and development services for [her grandson], “ironed se.
After this, Burnett enrolled her granddaughter in a boarding school.
The petition states that enrolling for him in boarding school “has been great for him”, and the school provided him with “the stability and structure he previously lacked and the reinforcing appropriate behaviors and boundaries he desperately needed. . “
But the suit says that in March of this year, Burnett’s grandfather and the other board members of the school were sent home because of the pandemic and he stayed with the family of one of his friends.
“Because of addiction problems and other circumstances that my daughter, Erin, is having a hard time influencing her immediate family dynamics, my husband and I have filed a petition in court to be appointed legal guardian of my 14-year-old grandfather. “Burnett said in a statement to CNN on Wednesday.
“Guardianship will be for supervisory purposes regarding his health, education and well-being and is not intended to deny him even the (parents’) good visit with each other. We look forward to recovery that is the next step for normalization and are currently asking for privacy to prevent that process. “
The petition states that the comic legend and her husband “have always had a close relationship [her grandson] and they have financially supported him for the rest of his life. “
“This financial support includes providing his medical insurance, dental insurance, educational needs, as well as his basic expenses and housing expenses,” it states. “Currently, proposed co-Guardians are his only source of financial support, and his primary source of emotional support.”
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