The Solomon-esque Battle for a Child's Custody
A heated court case in Superior Court challenges guardianship rights, pitting adoptive parents against previous foster care arrangements.
A problem as great as that which confronted Solomon will be placed before Judge Snell in the superior court this afternoon, when he will be called upon to decide the rightful guardianship of a little mite of a child which is claimed by two women. The case was before the courts several days ago and was continued until today for the gathering of further evidence. Susan Elizabeth Woolsey adopted the little girl recently after it had been returned to the Woolsey home for children by Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Brinkman, who had previously taken the custody of it. The suit involves the right of Mrs. Brinkman above the legal right of Miss Woolsey. New witnesses were put on the stand this morning and testified to the deep motherly love expressed for the child by Mrs. Brinkman. According to Attorney Butler, representing the plaintiffs in the suit, the only point which is not covered by law is whether the baby can be considered as pure collateral or not.
“the only point which is not covered by law is whether the baby can be considered as pure collateral or not.”
Child custody battles are perennial, but the court's framing of a child as 'collateral' reflects a cold, property-based view of domestic life common in the early 20th century, which stands in stark contrast to modern child-centered legal standards.
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