1987 (#9) - The legal battle between Jill and Katherine over custody of Phillip Jr.

Returning to Genoa City after being called back by Katherine to donate blood to Jill, who was injured after Sven's attack, Phillip Jr certainly does not show great attachment to his mother. Katherine accuses Jill of raising Phillip Jr. in the worst possible way, moving from one bed to another on the pretext of creating a family around him. The only consequence of this behavior is that he felt neglected and little loved., who suffered from his mother's absences and who, as soon as he could, decided to leave Genoa City to go and study away from Jill. Back in the city, however, Katherine has no intention of making him leave again and informs the boy, despite her resistance, that she has already enrolled him at the University of Genoa City. Phillip protests against the move, but both Katherine and Jill try to make him understand the importance of growing up with his family. Meanwhile, Katherine is considering removing custody of the boy from Jill, who has shown herself unable as a mother to raise her son, and adopting Phillip Jr. herself, who is after all her late husband's son. Thus begins a long legal and trial battle for custody of the boy, a battle that obviously involves Jill and Katherine, represented by Michael Crawford and Mitchell Sherman respectively, who in a whirlwind of accusations and counter-accusations fight for the boy's love. The latter is thus involved in a rivalry that goes beyond the dispute itself and is rooted in the historic war between the two women, who blame themselves for all the events and their misfortunes of recent years, starting from the accident that caused Phillip's life to be lost and Katherine's lawsuit that led to the annulment of the marriage between Jill and Phillip. This very episode, according to Katherine, is the woman's only mistake, which prevented Phillip Jr. from obtaining the surname Chancellor and thus aspiring to inherit the entire family fortune. Katherine thus announces her willingness to adopt the boy to take his father's surname and make him the legitimate heir to her fortune. Forced to attend all the court proceedings and endless court hearings, Phillip Jr. finds himself more confused than ever, not knowing who to agree with between Katherine and Jill. The boy obviously feels more connected to Jill, but Katherine's reasons are in part felt to be true by the boy, who shows a certain connection with the woman, also lured by the economic prospects that the surname Chancellor could guarantee him. In any case, Phillip Jr promises both of them that he will never turn his face to them, whatever the outcome of the trial, since the two women are an active part of his family and have the feeling that guilt and reason must obviously be split down the middle. The judge's verdict, as expected, does not give either of them a complete victory. In fact, Katherine's application for adoption is rejected, Jill being Phillip Jr.'s mother, but nevertheless grants temporary custody to the woman, who thus has the opportunity to raise the boy in her estate, considered as the most suitable home for his needs. Katherine also receives the court's approval to change his surname to Phillip Jr.'s Chancellor, who thus officially becomes an heir to the entire estate.