Woodham v. NH State Hospital

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
Grace Woodham
v. Case No. 25-cv-478-LM-AJ
New Hampshire Hospital
REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
On December 5, 2025, the court ordered plaintiff’s co-
guardians to notify the court whether they intended to proceed
with this lawsuit (Doc. No 2).1 They have not responded to the
court’s Order. Since that time, plaintiff Grace Woodham has
filed a motion to amend her petition for writ of habeas corpus
(Doc. No. 3), which has been referred to the undersigned
magistrate judge for a recommended disposition.
Given the restrictions on plaintiff’s power to initiate
lawsuits, as well as the co-guardians’ failure to respond to the
court’s prior order, the district judge should deny plaintiff’s
motion to amend (Doc. No. 3) and, if this recommendation is
adopted, the district judge should dismiss this action.
1 As the court noted in its order, the New Hampshire Circuit
Court – Probate Division appointed Robert Woodham and Janet
Woodham, as petitioner’s co-guardians in December 2023. The co-
guardians were granted, among other things, the exclusive power
to initiate, defend or settle lawsuits on Grace Woodham’s
behalf. See Woodham v. State of New Hampshire, Case No. 23-cv-
202-LM-AJ, December 29, 2023, Sealed Filing (Doc. No. 24-1).
Case 1:25-cv-00478-LM-AJ Document 4 Filed 02/23/26 Page 1 of 2

Any objections to this Report and Recommendation must be
filed within fourteen days of receipt of this notice. Fed. R.
Civ. P. 72(b)(2). The fourteen-day period may be extended upon
motion. Failure to file any objection within the specified time
waives the right to appeal the district court's
Order. See Santos-Santos v. Torres-Centeno, 842 F.3d 163, 168
(1st Cir. 2016).
Only those issues raised in the objection(s) to this Report
and Recommendation “are subject to review in the district
court.” Id. (cleaned up). Additionally, any issues “not
preserved by such objection are precluded on appeal.” Id.
______________________________
Andrea K. Johnstone
United States Magistrate Judge
February 23, 2026
cc: Grace Woodham, pro se.
Case 1:25-cv-00478-LM-AJ Document 4 Filed 02/23/26 Page 2 of 2