A child custody battle pitting an adoptive Southern California woman against an Ohio man she claims doesn't have a relationship with the child shows how messy interstate family law issues can be, as covered by the Associated Press. Judges and attorneys in Orange County, California and in Montgomery County, Ohio hashed out the details via teleconference.
After much debate and discussion, it was decided that Ohio's jurisdiction takes precedence. An Illinois family law attorney can fully explain how interstate custody disputes are handled, although each one is unique.
The unnamed biological father of the 2-year-old child is seeking custody but allegedly has not made an effort to be an involved parent. Adoptive mother Stacey Doss has been raising the girl ever since she was an infant and believes the child would be better off with the only parent figure she has ever known.
Signing a legal document that asserts the father was "out of the picture," the birth mother handed the newborn baby to Stacey Doss through adoption. But the biological father later established paternity of the child through a DNA test; now he has a legal claim to custody.
And since Ohio jurisdiction (where the child was born) takes precedent, Stacey Doss is running out of legal remedies to keep the child.
The 45-year-old adoptive mother also claims that she flew the father out to California to visit his daughter but that he was "more concerned with sightseeing" than spending time with his estranged daughter:
"He said he'd never been to California and wanted to go the beach... A blood relative does not make a parent. Her mother gave her to me for a reason."
Stacey Doss said she plans to appeal the ruling. Complex interstate child custody disputes often require the services of a skilled and tenacious Illinois family lawyer.
Related Resources:
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Browse Chicago Family Law Attorneys (FindLaw)
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Five Tips on Child Custody and Visitation (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life Blog)
