LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The same woman who until recently served as Britney Spears' temporary personal conservator should be the permanent personal guardian of comedian Carol Burnett's teenage grandson, whose mother allegedly has a history of drug abuse, the boy's attorney states in new court papers.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Deborah Christian named Jodi Pais Montgomery as the temporary guardian for 15-year-old Dylan Hamilton-West on Nov. 10, taking over for Burnett, 88, and her spouse, Brian Miller, who had served in that role since Sept. 1, 2020. A hearing on a permanent guardianship is scheduled Friday.
"On behalf of Dylan, the appointment of Jodi Pais Montgomery as guardian is in his best interests," the boy's lawyer, Stefanie Bennett, wrote in a report to the judge filed Tuesday. "I ask that the court grant (the Burnett-Miller petition) and that Jodi Pais Montgomery be appointed guardian of his person."
Bennett wrote that during her representation of Dylan, she has spoken with the teen; Burnett; Miller; the couple's lawyer, Gabrielle Vidal; the boy's father, Tony West; mother, Erin Hamilton; and Montgomery.
"Dylan is of the age and maturity to understand the role of his guardian," Bennett stated. "Dylan is in agreement with Jodi assuming the role of his guardian."
The boy speaks often with his father and has some unmonitored contact with his mother and brother, Zachary, according to Bennett, who also said that in the future she recommends that visits with the boy's mother and brother be held with a monitor present. The monitor should be approved by Montgomery and paid by the mother and brother, according to Bennett.
"Dylan is happy with the current arrangements -- attending school and liberal visitation with his father," Bennett says.
Montgomery became a part of Spears' conservatorship team in September 2019 after having previously served as her care manager. The Spears conservatorship was ended by Judge Brenda Penny in November.
In their original petition filed in August 2020, Burnett and Miller stated that throughout her adult life, and since Dylan's birth, Burnett's daughter has suffered from severe substance abuse and addiction issues and that in the past two decades, she has been in and out of rehabilitation centers while being institutionalized a total of eight times for a minimum of 30 days each time.
Hamilton, a 53-year-old singer, is one of Burnett's three daughters from her marriage to television producer Joe Hamilton. Their oldest daughter, Carrie, died of cancer in 2002.
In July 2020, Hamilton sent Dylan and her adult son multiple text messages threatening suicide, according to the original petition, which says she was subsequently placed by the Los Angeles Police Department on a hold for "suicidality and drug use" before being released late that same month.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Related
