Once a child turns 18 and wants to be adopted by her stepdad, does the biological father have to be informed?: My sister was adopted by our stepfather when she turned 18. My father recently passed away and I just assumed that he knew that she was adopted by our stepfather. I don't know now.
Jennifer’s answer: The biological parents do not have to be notified when an adult child seeks to be adopted by another adult. However, it is possible that your sister requested that her father's rights not be terminated and the Court agreed. The Court may also have ordered that her inheritance rights not be terminated either. The best way to find out is to look at the adoption order.
Can stepfather be listed as guardian of my 18 yr old daughter on her HS student records instead of me, the custodial parent? : My daughter is 18 & senior in HS. She & my husband (her step-father) both moved out together in July 2018. I've always been custodial parent. Now she has step father listed as guardian instead of me. He has no legal rights to her what so ever.
Jennifer’s answer: Since your daughter is 18, she is considered an adult and can list whoever she wants as an emergency contact on her school records, with doctors, etc.
How much is the average cost to subpoena birth records?: I was born Jan. 18, 1957 in Houston Tx at Hermann hospital and was adopted immediately. My adopted mother always told me the story of my biological mother had to give me up. She had an affair with her brother-n-law and became pregnant. She shared the last names with me but that was all she knew. She always pushed me to locate my biological mother but I never did. She past away in 2006 and on her death bed begged me again to locate my birth mother. In the past few months I've joined Ancestry .com and had my DNA tested. I've located several cousins and have became close to two of them. I now supposedly know my mother's full name and with two attempts failed to get access to my original birth certificate without a subpoena. I have become desperate to verify who my natural parents were as my health has diminished rapidly. This information is needed for my children and grandchildren as well to maybe avoid any health problems that may arise in their future.
Jennifer’s answer: First, I recommend contacting the adoption agency if there was one involved to see if they will release any of the records. If not, then before you can even "subpoena records" you will need to file a petition to unseal the adoption records in the Court that the adoption took place. If you don't which Court, you will need to get a form entitled "Inquiry on Court of Continuing Jurisdiction" from the Texas Vital Statistics Unit. Once you have the Court, then you can file the petition but must show good cause for unsealing the records. Typically the Court will want a very good reason for doing so it's important to emphasize health concerns. The better route may be work with a Search Angel who can look at birth indexes from 1957. If you haven't already, check out Support Texas Adoptee Rights.