14 DAY TRIAL // As the dust begins to settle on Paul Walker's tragic death, legal issues are beginning to cause some distress between the remaining members of the family. It was previously reported that Walker's mother, Cheryl Ann, was trying to obtain the legal guardianship of her granddaughter Meadow, by alleging that her mother, Rebecca Soteros, had a drinking problem.
Today, it's been uncovered that Meadow and her mother were taken by surprise by this unexpected turn of events and E! Online claims that they were disgusted when they found out. According to an insider, “There have been discussions but no one told them they were going ahead with it. They first heard about it when they saw it on TMZ. They are very disgusted by this. It's completely thoughtless and disrespectful.”
The petition states that both Rebecca and Meadow have been staying at Cheryl's home and, in fact, Meadow has been living there since before her father's sudden demise on November 30 last year.
After Paul Walker's will was opened, it was revealed that he had left his entire estate to his daughter Meadow, meaning that whoever becomes her legal guardian would also be in charge of handling the multi-million dollar fortune.
Cheryl Ann says in her petition that, given the current living arrangements, it would be “necessary and convenient for Petitioner [her] to be appointed as the guardian of the person [Meadow] and of [Walker's] estate.”
Sources close to Meadow and Rebecca don't agree with the fact that they have been living under the roof of Walker's parents, mentioning that they were just staying there “on and off.” The mother and daughter had been living in Hawaii together before the crash, but Meadow moved to LA to be closer to her father.
It's been revealed that they were in fact living in a home in Santa Barbara, California that was being paid for by Walker. The insider adds, “Knowing Rebecca, I know she would never let anyone else care for her daughter. She loves her.”
Here's where the case gets tricky. Lawyers agree that it's difficult to obtain legal guardianship of a child while the biological mother is still around. This would have to be done with her consent, or rather, after the mother has her maternal rights terminated.
This could happen, but only in special cases where the mother is proven unfit for parenthood. As it stands, Rebecca's alleged drinking problem has only resulted in a couple of DUI charges against her, which would not be enough to strip her of her rights.
Cheryl is probably banking on the fact that Walker’s will names her as the “dedicated guardian,” while his father is named “personal representative” of the estate. Should he not be able to carry out his duties, they would fall on Cheryl.