GRIFFIN v. PRESQUE ISLE HOUSING AUTHORITY et al

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF MAINE
JOURDEN GRIFFIN, 	)
individually and on behalf of her five 	)
minor children, 	)
)
Plaintiff 	)
)
v. 	) 	1:25-cv-00420-SDN
)
)
CITY OF PRESQUE ISLE, et al., 	)
)
Defendants 	)
ORDER ON MOTION TO APPOINT GUARDIAN
Citing Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 17(c)(2), Plaintiff Jourden Griffin asks the
Court to appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the interests of her minor children in this
action. (Motion to Appoint Guardian, ECF No. 11.) Rule 17(c)(2) provides:
A minor or incompetent person who does not have a duly appointed
representative may sue by a next friend or by a guardian ad litem. The court
must appoint a guardian ad litem—or issue another appropriate order—to
protect a minor or incompetent person who is unrepresented in an action.
Fed. R. Civ. P. 17(c)(2). The Rule does not require nor contemplate the appointment of a
guardian ad litem where a minor’s parent asserts a claim on behalf of the minor. Because
Plaintiff, “as a parent, qualifies as a general guardian who may sue on her [children’s]
behalf,” there is no need for the appointment of a guardian ad litem. Leonforte v. Regional
School Unit 19, No. 1:25-cv-00441-SDN, 2025 WL 3496551, at *1 (D. Me. Dec. 5, 2025)
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The Court, therefore, denies Plaintiff’s motion to appoint a guardian ad litem for her minor
children.
NOTICE
Any objections to this order shall be filed in accordance with Federal Rule of Civil
Procedure 72.
/s/ John C. Nivison
U.S. Magistrate Judge
Dated this 14th day of January, 2026.
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