Termination of parental rights

[iluvtattoos]

I am looking to get the rights of my daughters biological dad terminated. He is not on her birth certificate, but he did sign something for the state stating that he is her father. He has not seen her in 11 years, she is 11 years old, we live in the same state and the same city. He is a registered sex offender and has violated his parole a number of times due to his heavy use of crystal meth. I contacted the courts and they told me i could file and that it would cost me $155 to file the papers. That is all that was explained to me about the process. They did tell me that I would need a lawyer to do so. I can not afford a lawyer. IF you can file for divorce on the internet and have it finalized on the internet, isnt there a way to go to court and do this sort of thing on your own. I really need help with this as soon as possible. I am getting married this year to the man that has been in her life since before she was born and to the man who has been her dad for the last 7 years (we were friends when i got pregnant with her, and years later started dating).

 

[irish223]

I am looking to get the rights of my daughters biological dad terminated. He is not on her birth certificate, but he did sign something for the state stating that he is her father. He has not seen her in 11 years, she is 11 years old, we live in the same state and the same city. He is a registered sex offender and has violated his parole a number of times due to his heavy use of crystal meth. I contacted the courts and they told me i could file and that it would cost me $155 to file the papers. That is all that was explained to me about the process. They did tell me that I would need a lawyer to do so. I can not afford a lawyer. IF you can file for divorce on the internet and have it finalized on the internet, isnt there a way to go to court and do this sort of thing on your own. I really need help with this as soon as possible. I am getting married this year to the man that has been in her life since before she was born and to the man who has been her dad for the last 7 years (we were friends when i got pregnant with her, and years later started dating).

No, there is no easy way to terminate parental rights. You will need a lawyer.

When you get a divorce online, it's usually a joint decision. Not so with TPR. If you don't do everything correctly, the father can legally have the adoption overturned.

 

[jacksgal]

Let me get this right. You are currently married to the Father? You want a Divorce?

 

[iluvtattoos]

How can the biological father have the adoption overturned if he is notified of what is going to happen. In my city if they can not contact someone for a legal matter such as this, they post it in the news paper and give him so long to respond. With being a registered sex offender it is pretty easy to find where he is at. Also I thought that a parents rights could be terminated on the grounds of abandonment.

 

[Duranie]

You can certainly petition the court but you might want to wait until you are married. Courts normally do not allow boyfriends to adopt kids.

 

[irish223]

How can the biological father have the adoption overturned if he is notified of what is going to happen.

If there is any error made in the termination process, the father can appeal. That's why it's important to hire a lawyer.

In my city if they can not contact someone for a legal matter such as this, they post it in the news paper and give him so long to respond. With being a registered sex offender it is pretty easy to find where he is at. Also I thought that a parents rights could be terminated on the grounds of abandonment.

I didn't say that it can't be done. I said there is no easy way to do it. Also, just because the statutes allow for termination due to abandonment, that doesn't mean rights will be automatically terminated.

If the court clerk told you that an attorney must file the papers for you, then I would imagine that's correct.