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Supreme Court of Utah Rules in Favor of Birth Father

The Utah Supreme Court ruled in favor of birth father Ramsey Shaud, who had never seen his 2-year-old daughter who had been adopted. This ruling overturned a lower court’s decision finding that the father had been too late submitting paperwork to stop the birth mother from allowing their child to be adopted.

The birth father’s petition was filed a week before the adoption. However because state workers were only working four days a week at the time, the question raised was whether Utah’s Vital Records negligently failed to record his petition timely. The Utah Supreme Court found that the birth father’s paperwork had appeared 45 minutes after the state officials agreed to allow the adoption to move forward.

The adoptive parents are concerned since they have raised the baby for the past 2 years and do not want to lose custody. But the birth father also feels that he was wronged for the past 2 years and wants to raise his child.

Child custody and father's rights issues can be complex, as indicated by this story. If you are looking to talk with a South Jordan child custody attorney, contact a family law attorney at Pearson Butler. Our child custody attorney team also assists with divorce, both contested and uncontested, child support and various family law matters. Feel free to call (800) 265-2314.

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