Mama June Shannon Claims Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell's Ex-Husband Was 'Frequently' Physically Abusive in Custody Filing

Mama June Shannon accused late daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell's ex-husband, Michael Cardwell, of physical abuse as she continues to fight for custody of her granddaughter.

Anna tragically passed away in December 2023 after nearly a year of fighting stage four adrenal carcinoma. She left behind her daughters, Kylee, 8 — who is Michael's biological child — and Kaitlyn, 11, whose father is not involved in her life.

Michael petitioned for custody of Kaitlyn after Anna's death, claiming he'd been a part of the 11-year-old's life since she was a baby and that she regularly stayed with him and Kylee at his home. He further alleged Anna fully supported his parental relationship with Kaitlyn.

Aside from his bond with the kids, he also argued his ex-wife's relationship with her mother had been strained throughout significant portions of her life.

However, in Mama June's response to the custody petition, the 44-year-old claimed Michael was an abuser.

"During his marriage to Anna, plaintiff frequently physically abused Anna and the child," the court filing read, per a news outlet. "It would not be in the child's best interest to be in the plaintiff's care and control."

June also argued that Kaitlyn's visits to Michael's home were "infrequent" and only occurred because "the child of the marriage did not wish to visit the father if Kaitlyn did not come with her."

"As far as allegations that June and Anna were not close, Anna did reside with the maternal grandmother from ages 11 through 16 or 17," the documents continued. "Outside of one short period of disagreement, the defendant and Anna had a stable parent-child relationship."

"Kaitlyn has spent her childhood regularly seeing and spending time with the defendant," the filing noted. "On the other hand, the plaintiff has had an inconsistent presence in the child's life since at least 2017."

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Michael's legal team responded to the allegations in a statement to a news outlet.

"Michael flatly denies any type of abuse of his children or his ex-wife or any other past girlfriend," the statement said. "We will see how June plans to prove this or any other of her supposed truths or allegations."

The Sun obtained June's response to the custody petition, as well as Michael's statement regarding the alleged abuse.