In a seven-year long child custody battle between natural and adoptive parents – the birth father taking the case to the Missouri Supreme Court – custody has been awarded to the birth father, as reported by Fox 4 Kansas City News.
The seven-year-old boy, N.B., of Raytown, Mo., had been living in Texas with S.T. and M.T. for more than six years. The couple, who had planned to adopt N.B., had raised him his since he was an infant.
The birth father, C.L., said that he had never agreed to his son’s adoption – the birth mother, E.B., made that decision on her own, while she allegedly had been suffering with postpartum depression and was put under duress.
In December of 2004 C.L. was present for his son’s birth – filming the occasion for posterity – but his name was not listed as the father on the birth certificate.
C.L. commented, “When we went to get it, there was no record that (N.B.) was ever born.”
C.L. added, “Somehow (S.T. and M.T) had changed (N.B.’s) birth certificate without ever having an adoption and that if I died in the accident there would be no record that he was ever born and he would’ve just disappeared into Texas and that would’ve been that.”
C.L.’s reference to an accident was regarding a car crash he was involved in back in June of 2010. His injuries were such that he allegedly died twice on an operating table. For months following the accident he went through a painful rehabilitation and delays in the custody dispute.
Of the court’s decision C.L. said, “…I can get up in the morning and see him, see his face I don’t just have to imagine his face.”
N.B. receives therapy to help him make the adjustment to a new set of parents.
In regards to S.T. and M.T. C.L. said, “These people played keep away for six and a half years and now (N.B.’s) returned to us, they wouldn’t even participate in the therapy that was ordered by the court.”
Allegedly S.T. and M.T. wrote a letter to N.B. explaining that he would not be seeing or hearing from them again. They cut off all ties with the first-grader last August. By way of explanation S.T. said, “He needs to attach to (C.L. and E.B.) and the family he will be a part of.”
S.T. and M.T. refused to speak with reporters as they left the courthouse.
E.B. said, “I didn’t think I could love him more but my love has just deepened so much from actually being able to take care of him.”
For the past six years, while N.B. lived with his adoptive parents, C.L. was allowed limited visitation. E.B., however, due to the fact that she had given up custody, wasn’t legally allowed to see N.B. at all.
But C.L. and E.B. have remained a couple, and now the two can share in raising their son.
Facing an uphill child custody battle? Contact a family law attorney to best suit your needs and regain your rightful parental status