Q: Are we required to pay child support after a failed adoption. DCS and the court accepted our Voluntary TPR.
We adopted the 2 boys from the State of TN after being foster parents for 19 months..After 10 years of trying to help these boys with in and out patient services, we could no longer care for them. DCS told us we could voluntarily surrender our rights. We did, they accepted and the judge signed the order. However now they have filed to have us pay child support and medical insurance. We could have never adopted the boys without adoption assistance and medical insurance, which we got under Title IV-E. The State took that away when the boys went into custody of DCS. We now have no rights to see the boys or contact them. Yet the state wants us to pay to support them, even asking for back support.
The surrender paperwork we signed said that "your rights and responsibilities to and with the child will be terminated".
Does this "TCA § 36-1-111(r)(1)(A)(ii):" mean we would not be responsible after terminating the adoption?
Thank you.
A: The State of Tennessee can make mistakes like anybody else- and this sounds like a "screw-up" to me. I suggest you show the child support office a copy of the termination order. Hopefully that will clear things up.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
