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What can I expect in my upcoming Adoption Petition?

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Urgthock

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas

Good afternoon. I am trying to get a "big picture" idea of what additional issues I may run into with my trying to adopt my stepson. Here are the particulars.

My wife was previously a Filipino Citizen married to another Filipino Citizen. After getting her pregnant he severely abused her physically in order to try to cause a miscarriage (kicked her in the stomach and pushed her down the stairs) then left her for another woman 3 months before the child was born in Oct 2003. I met her in early 2006 and began a long distance relationship with her that ended with me visiting the Philippines around the same time as the childs third birthday. From that time, he has only ever known me and for many years was not even aware that I was not his biological father. As time went on, we had her previous marriage annulled (divorce is not legal in the Philippines) due to neglect and abandonment and I married his mother and brought them both to the US (she was awarded full custody of the child by the Philippine courts; the birth father was nowhere to be found at that time). We had another child in 2009, my wife naturalized in 2010 and she is pregnant now with our third child. The biological father has never communicated with or supported my stepson at any time nor have they ever seen each other. My stepson is aware that he exists but that is all. He still (to my knowledge) lives somewhere in the Philippines, although we do not know where.

I feel very confident that I will be able to have his parental rights terminated due to Abandonment. However, will we still have to go through the process of trying to track him down to notify him? How would we go about doing that?

Are there any other "surprises" I should try to prepare for?

Thank you in advance for your assistance and advice.
 


LdiJ

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas

Good afternoon. I am trying to get a "big picture" idea of what additional issues I may run into with my trying to adopt my stepson. Here are the particulars.

My wife was previously a Filipino Citizen married to another Filipino Citizen. After getting her pregnant he severely abused her physically in order to try to cause a miscarriage (kicked her in the stomach and pushed her down the stairs) then left her for another woman 3 months before the child was born in Oct 2003. I met her in early 2006 and began a long distance relationship with her that ended with me visiting the Philippines around the same time as the childs third birthday. From that time, he has only ever known me and for many years was not even aware that I was not his biological father. As time went on, we had her previous marriage annulled (divorce is not legal in the Philippines) due to neglect and abandonment and I married his mother and brought them both to the US (she was awarded full custody of the child by the Philippine courts; the birth father was nowhere to be found at that time). We had another child in 2009, my wife naturalized in 2010 and she is pregnant now with our third child. The biological father has never communicated with or supported my stepson at any time nor have they ever seen each other. My stepson is aware that he exists but that is all. He still (to my knowledge) lives somewhere in the Philippines, although we do not know where.

I feel very confident that I will be able to have his parental rights terminated due to Abandonment. However, will we still have to go through the process of trying to track him down to notify him? How would we go about doing that?

Are there any other "surprises" I should try to prepare for?

Thank you in advance for your assistance and advice.
An adoption is absolutely something that requires an attorney if you want to be certain that it can never be overturned. A local adoption attorney will be better able to give you the advice that you need.
 

Urgthock

Junior Member
An adoption is absolutely something that requires an attorney if you want to be certain that it can never be overturned. A local adoption attorney will be better able to give you the advice that you need.
Thanks. Do you think we will need to involve an attorney in the Philippines as well or will a US Based Attorney be able to handle everything?
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Thanks. Do you think we will need to involve an attorney in the Philippines as well or will a US Based Attorney be able to handle everything?
That's a great question for the adoption attorneys that you interview. Make sure they understand the international aspect of this...
 

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