Step-parent adoptions usually require the parents to have been married for six months first. Otherwise, you meet the requirements for adoption. Get married first, and then after six months, contact an adoption attorney in your area to assist you.

You can move out without their permission when you are eighteen. Otherwise you will need to become emancipated or have someone else file for guardianship over you.

Unless there is a court order granting the father visitation and or custody; an unwed father has no rights to the minor child, and cannot take the child out of your custody without your permission. If there is an existing court order, I encourage you to seek out legal assistance to file a Motion... View More

Unless the two of you are married, or have an existing court order, you are the only one with rights to the child; he can't take the child anywhere. Furthermore, it does depend a little upon the conditions of his release, but typically, if he has been released on bond, he won't be able... View More

While an unwed father does not have rights to a child without a custody orders from the court; the damage here is already done. You might be able to sue him for the costs of having the tattoo removed but otherwise I can't think of many other remedies in Missouri. If all the parties are in... View More

He cannot sign his rights over without someone else to take his place, like a step-parent adoption. However, the two of you can agree to an order for no child support, and no visitation, if that is what you both want. He can also dismiss his petition, if he desires. Talk to an attorney local to... View More

That's incorrect. If an unwed father has not be proven to be the father in court, then he has no rights to the child; only the mother does. While the police are very knowledgeable about what constitutes a crime, they tend to be lacking about civil matters. Your sister may claim her child,... View More

No, if you jointly bought the house, then you own the house in joint tenancy with rights of survivorship. So if one of you dies, then the other gets the house.

It means the costs of college are based upon what is left to pay after scholarships and and grants are applied.

You can ask the court for an accounting of the funds the elder brother withdrew and if the funds were taken for purposes other than for caring for your parents, then he would have to pay that back to the estate. Additionally, you can ask for the profits from the timber he removed from your... View More

Under those circumstances, you definitely qualify for joint custody. Talk to an attorney local to you about seeking a modification to reflect your current circumstances.

Who is he being adopted by, will determine what your options are; I encourage you to speak with a family attorney local to you as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, there's little you can do at the moment. As they are not harassing you directly, but going through an agency, you can't take out an order of protection or an injunctive order of any kind; it is up to the agency to police itself. If it is the same person, making the... View More

If the two of you were never married, then he has no rights to the child and you may move as you wish. He does have the option of pursuing a custodial rights through a paternity action; but until that time, you are the only one with rights to your child.

They have to first demonstrate that the current order is too difficult for him to reasonably make.

Yes. Maintenance terminates once the receiving spouse remarries, the assumption is that the new spouse will support the person originally receiving maintenance.

The child can't make the decision to stay until he is 18. However, you can submit a motion to modify to the court to change residential custody, the court usually considers the child's wishes when a child is that old. You will want to file the motion early before the school year starts,... View More

You need to file a modification based upon a change in the child's residential custody to terminate the current child support order. Contact an attorney local to you to assist you.

Your parental rights were not severed in a divorce. You don't have to follow the parenting plan if you are both in agreement and back together. If you are concerned about terminating child support, the receiving spouse may inform the Family Support Division, that you are back together and... View More

Yes, you can contact the court and request that the court abate his payments, or tell them that the payments are being made directly.