Judge Shuts Down Margaret Qualley’s Sister Rainey in Fight for Guardianship of 11-Month-Old Baby
Margaret Qualley’s older sister, Rainey Qualley, was shut down in her plea to be named guardian of a 11-month-old child who she feared would be living on the streets, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied the petition brought by Rainey, 35, and filmmaker Anthony Wilson.
Rainey and Anthony asked the court to appoint them guardians of a child named Wyoming.
A hearing was held on August 8, where the judge heard testimony from Rainey, Anthony and the child’s mother. The Department of Children and Family Services also submitted a report after speaking to all parties involved.
The minute order read, “The Court finds that insufficient evidence has been provided to grant the matter on calendar this date based upon the reading of the moving papers and consideration of all presented evidence. The Petition - Appoint Guardian of the Person Only filed on 4/29/2024 by Petitioner(s) Rainsford DuBose Qualley, Anthony John Wilson is denied without prejudice.”
Back in April, Rainey and Anthony filed their petition over Wyoming. They claimed to have met the child’s mother while filming a documentary on train hopping. “Petitioners began caring for the child for long periods while the mother continued to live on the streets and now Petitioners raise the child full-time,” the filing read.
The duo said they had cared for Wyoming since December 2023 and “they are providing a safe and loving home for her.”
They claimed if it were not for their help, Wyoming would be living on the streets with her mother and be exposed to “drug use, unsafe conditions, homelessness” and be at risk for being removed by Child Protective Services.
“Wyoming does not have any other relatives who are stable enough to care for her. Petitioners have a strong bond with the child and it is in the child’s best interest to remain with the Petitioners who have cared for her the majority of her life and can provide a safe and stable home for her.”
Wyoming’s mother objected to the petition. She claimed to have met Anthony when he reached out to her about his film.
She said, “As a first time; young mother I believe that the Petitioners, [Rainey and Anthony] set out from the beginning to mislead me into believing that they were interested in helping me better my life and help me with my child. In hindsight I see that I was exploited by the petitioners instead of helped.”
The mother said she had a stable and nurturing home environment for her daughter and that she moved into the home with her daughter in April 2024. The mother denied she was unable to take care of her child.
Rainey and Anthony asked the court to grant their petition despite the mother's claims.
They told the judge, “Even after [the mother] moved into the room on April 6, 2024, she continued to ask us to care for Wyoming. In the last month, Wyoming was in our care on April 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and May 1. In the past four months, [the mother] has not cared for Wyoming for more than 11 days in a row, the second longest period was five days.”
They added, “We do not fault [the mother] for needing help and we applaud her for recognizing the need for assistance to keep Wyoming safe, however, we have seen her pattern of behavior and do not believe that her very recent change in housing proves she has broken the pattern of instability, nor is she ready to parent full time.”
In the end, the judge sided with Wyoming's mother.
