McMahon v. Wirick

Stacy McMahon (McMahon) and Melanie White Wirick (Wirick), formerly Melanie White, were the biological parents of Addison Grace White (Addison). McMahon and Wirick were never married. When Addison reached school age, the parties agreed that McMahon would have primary physical custody of Addison during hte school year and Wirick would have primary physical custody during the summer. McMahon later filed a petition seeking to change Addison’s surname from White to McMahon. Wirick objected to the name change. The trial court denied the petition, concluding that a name change was not in Addison’s best interest. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the trial court (1) did not err to the extent that it relied on the holding in Spero v. Heath to determine whether the name change was in Addison’s best interest; and (2) did not err in concluding that the name change was not in Addison’s best interest. View "McMahon v. Wirick" on Justia Law