Virginia support after adoption?

What is the name of your state? Virginia

My ex-wife was cheating on me when we split up (the reason for the split) and it turned out she was pregnant. We had been trying to have a baby, and she put my name down on the birth cerrtificate. The boy is 6 years old now and I saw him only once when he was an infant, but have paid child support the whole time.

One of the guys she was cheating with was with her through the pregnancy, and she later married. He now wishes to adopt the boy, which is fine with me. I even paid the lawyer fee to make it happen. However, I know that some states allow an adoption of a child and still require the terminated-rights parent to pay support. I cannot find out of Virginia is one of these states or not. I have tried searching their code to no avail.

I talked to her lawyer, whom I don't trust because even though I paid him, he is HER lawyer. He refuses to add into the voluntary termination of rights agreement that I should be held harmless against any future support.

So what I need to know is, is Virginia one of those states that can require support after termination and adoption, or is it really all over for me when the adoption if finalized?

Thank you so much for your time.

Virginia--Michigan

I should perhaps add that while she lives in Virginia with the child (I live in Ohio), Michigan retains jurisdiction over the child support. I did contact them once, and they said that in the case of an adoption, I would send the decree to them, and there was a process to having the support stopped.

Thanks again.

[Seanscott]

Once the child is adopted, you are totally out of the picture. No rights to visitation, no obligation to pay support. You are nothing more than a stranger to the child. He becomes the stepdad's child 100%.

If you are behind in support, or the mom has taken state aid, you can be forced to pay. Sometimes the state will forgive the debt.

I am already a stranger, and it is how I wish to remain. The man she cheated with, now his stepdad, is the man he's always known as a father. Who even knows if she's told him anything about me.

I have always been current on support, and will stay that way, so that's not a concern for me.

Forgive me for clarifying, but it is certain then, that Virginia in particular will not take any child support from me after the adoption is final? Arizona, I believe, can still take support after an adoption, and various other states as well. I just want to be sure I'll be in the clear for this particular state.

Also, I wonder how long it will take Michigan to stop taking money from me after I send them the required info? They have always been slow to do anything when i had to contact them for employment information or whatnot. If they keep garnishing me for a couple months while they get the paperwork through, and the mother has no right to the money because the adoption is final, what happens to the money? Somehow I doubt I'd get it back...

Thanks so much.