guardian ad litem

American  

[gahr-dee-uhn ad lahy-tuhm] / ˈgɑr di ən æd ˈlaɪ təm /

noun

Law.

1. a person appointed by a court as guardian of an infant, child, or other person to act on their behalf in a particular action or proceeding.

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Example Sentences

Petit has sued the city in federal court through a guardian ad litem, arguing that the officers had no cause for detaining him and that he posed no threat.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2023

Lockwood filed to be appointed the guardian ad litem in March, two months after Lisa Marie, who was the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, died after suffering cardiac arrest.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2023

Court records show that Rev. Lori Walke, an attorney and senior minister at Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City, served as a guardian ad litem for the Texas girl during the civil case.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 25, 2022

Ms. Spears’s personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, recently filed an urgent request for the court to appoint a guardian ad litem who would be assigned solely to help Ms. Spears choose her own lawyer.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2021

“Tandoori, Harrison, and Hugo are all minors. You had no right to interrogate them without a parent or guardian ad litem present.”

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson