Guthrie v. Rodgers

── Guthrie v. Rodgers ── Court: Appellate Court of Illinois Date: April 14, 2026 Category: General NOTICE 2026 IL App (5th) 250952-U NOTICE Decision filed 04/13/26. The This order was filed under text of this decision may be NO. 5-25-0952 Supreme Court Rule 23 and is changed or corrected prior to the filing of a Petition for not precedent except in the Rehearing or the disposition of IN THE limited circumstances allowed the same. under Rule 23(e)(1). APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS FIFTH DISTRICT ______________________________________________________________________________ SCOTT A. GUTHRIE, ) Appeal from the ) Circuit Court of Petitioner-Appellee, ) Vermilion County. ) v. ) No. 21-F-109 ) MARY RODGERS, ) Honorable ) Nicolas J. Boileau, Respondent-Appellant. ) Judge, presiding. ______________________________________________________________________________ JUSTICE SHOLAR delivered the judgment of the court. Justices McHaney and Hackett concurred in the judgment. ORDER ¶1 Held: The circuit court’s decision to make the petitioner the primary parent of the two minor children and to allocate all significant decision-making authority to the petitioner was not against the manifest weight of the evidence. Because we find that the court balanced all relevant statutory factors and rendered a decision in accordance with the best interests of the children, the judgment of the circuit court is affirmed. ¶2 The respondent, Mary Rodgers (Mother), appeals pro se from the order of the Vermilion County circuit court entering a final parenting plan regarding the parties’ two minor children, allocating all significant decision-making responsibility over the minors to the petitioner, Scott A. Guthrie (Father), and naming Father the primary parent. On appeal, she challenges the circuit court’s consideration of the evidence presented at the allocation hearing, and alleges that the court 1 and the guardian ad litem (GAL) were biased against her. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court. ¶3 I. BACKGROUND ¶4 On July 30, 2021, Father filed a petition to determine the existence of a parent-child relationship between himself and two minor children, J.D.G. and A.S.G. In his petition, Father identified himself and Mother as the minors’ biological parents. He alleged that he was willing and able to care for the minors and provide for all of their needs. In addition to asking the circuit court for a declaration of a parent-child relationship, Father requested that he be awarded the majority of parenting time and sole decision-making responsibility over the minors, subject to reasonable parenting time with Mother. ¶5 On the same date, Father filed an emergency petition for temporary relief, requesting an order awarding him temporary majority parenting time and sole decision-making responsibility over the minors. In his emergency petition, Father listed several alleged examples of Mother endanger