Murfreesboro, TN asked in Family Law, Adoption and Child Custody for Tennessee

Q: Can my husband adopt my 13 year old son without the absent biological dad's consent?

My husband has been raising my 13 year old since he was 1 1/2 . The biological dad hasn't been in my son's life since he was 1. There was never any child support paid or established and never a custody agreement established. I spoke with a lawyer and they mentioned with the new laws of 2024 we could skip straight to filing a petition for adoption instead without the biological father being notified. I've always been told we'd have to do termination of parental rights then step parent adoption. I just wanted more opinions. Thank you.

1 Lawyer Answer
Anthony M. Avery
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Answered

A: Yes... But hire an attorney to file suit to terminate his parental rights and approve the adoption.

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