Grandparents don’t have automatic rights to visitation, but they can ask the court for “grandparenting time” in certain situations, such as when the parents are divorced, separated, or one parent is deceased.

However, Michigan law gives strong weight to parents’ decisions. The court presumes that a fit parent’s choice to deny grandparenting time is in the child’s best interests. To overcome this presumption, grandparents must show that denying them visitation would create a risk of harm to the child’s mental, physical, or emotional well-being.

Because the standard is high, grandparents seeking court-ordered time should work with an attorney who understands the nuances of the law.