Q: What state would do the adoption if we have custody of our grandsons? We live in Florida, custody order from Louisiana.
Mom has had no contact in 7 months - this is the second time in two years she's gone 7+ months with no contact. None of the dads bother. The dads would give up their rights but mom, being spiteful, will not without a fight. We want to terminate parental rights and adopt but somebody said they thought we had to do it all in Louisiana, which triples the cost. The 18 month battle to keep the boys wiped us out so if it's Louisiana where we have to do it then that idea is squashed. The boys are 6 and 3. We've had them for 2 years now. The three year old doesn't know his mother and the 6 year old has splintered memories.
A: Louisiana has jurisdiction under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (a uniform law that has been adopted in both states). If none of the parents still reside in Louisiana, it might be possible to get the Louisiana court to waive jurisdiction, but I believe that would be required at a minimum.
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