How to File Abandoment---Father out of pic 6yrs

Ehughes55 · #1 01-25-2011, 06:45 AM

A little about what has gone on so I know what i should do and how to file....

Went to court with my daughters Father he got granted to see her everyother weeekend from 8am-4pm he did that maybe a total of a year in a half of her life off and on and he was also ordered to pay child support which he did for three full years and than off and on for a year...My daughter is 10 and the last time he has seen her or even contacted me was in jan of 2006....I know he has been in and out of jaill for dui's because me and his cousin are good friends still and she tells me when she has heard from him .... I have been with my husband now since 6-2006 and my daughter wants him to be her dad and adopt her so we all have the same last name and my husband wants to adopt her as well.....How do i go about filling and how should i file everyone tells me to file abandonment.....What should i do????

moderator · #2 01-26-2011, 05:54 PM

I would suggest that you speak with an attorney regarding this so that it is done correctly. Have you browsed through the information in LawInfo's Free Legal Resource Center to learn more about your issue yet? See: http://www.lawinfo.com/consumer.html and http://resources.lawinfo.com/en/index.html. You can certainly try to speak to a lawyer to determine what legal options may be available. In the meantime, you may be able to learn more on your own. Search the "Free Legal Resources" tab, or browse the Consumer Resources. Good luck.

eyeslikeice · #3 08-14-2011, 08:47 AM

I dont know where you are, but I am in North Carolina. Call your clerk of courts and ask them about it. Here, you can obtain the papers to file yourself and it only costs about $100. That's cheaper than anything a lawyer can do for you.

I came to this site hoping to find some insight, but all I see is "get an attorney"

aardvarc · #4 08-14-2011, 09:23 AM

There's a HUGE difference between "insight" and LEGAL ADVICE. That's because a large majority of things, like a potentially contested adoption (since abandonment is a major factor) in this post, are NOT "do it yourself" cases. Getting just ONE of the many steps wrong can cause the entire adoption to be overturned.

Court clerks can tell you which forms to file, and even provide the paperwork, but they can NOT give legal advice, nor can they warn of potential issues and pitfalls which can cause a case to crumble or create ADDITIONAL problems or liabilities.

No matter how good or active ANY message board might be, it isn't a SUBSTITUTE for an attorney. ONLY an attorney can give LEGAL advice and those who are willing to settle for LESS than the advice of a licensed attorney need to be aware that they do so at their own peril.