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I put my son up for adoption at birth 7 years ago. it was a closed adoption. But in our paperwork part of our agreement I was supposed to get photos & updates 3 or 4 times a year. I received photos and updates for the first 5 years then I just stopped getting them, do I have any kinda rights?
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SROSS, hopefully others will come and be able to give you some more support/advice, but I'm afraid that most likely you don't have any rights at this point.The only way you could take any sort of action is if you had a legally enforceable open adoption, which it doesn't sound like you do....Paperwork laying out contact agreements are often spoken of as if they hold some weight, when the sad (and tragically unfair) reality is that they're just agreements - and that they can be broken if the aparents wish.I'm SO SORRY that this is happening to you, and please reach out for support here. You are NOT alone. :grouphug:
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I see from your profile that you are in California, which does have enforceable open adoption agreements (at least from what I can tell reading the statute)....It looks like the courts may require mediation or some kind of alternative dispute resolution before you could file something. Were your updates coming thru an agency or an attorney? Are they still in business/located at the same address? Do you still have the same address? (I have seen where some agencies either go out of business or just don't forward things that are sent to them). If they were coming to you directly and stopped, do you have contact info for the adoptive parents? If there is a third party involved like an agency or an attorney, I would reach out to them. I know my agency "intervenes" if OA agreements are not being honored. If not, and you have contact info, I think you should send something to them asking where your updates and pictures are....I am sorry that you haven't received them. Good luck!!
loveajax
I see from your profile that you are in California, which does have enforceable open adoption agreements (at least from what I can tell reading the statute)....It looks like the courts may require mediation or some kind of alternative dispute resolution before you could file something.
Were your updates coming thru an agency or an attorney? Are they still in business/located at the same address? Do you still have the same address? (I have seen where some agencies either go out of business or just don't forward things that are sent to them).
If they were coming to you directly and stopped, do you have contact info for the adoptive parents?
If there is a third party involved like an agency or an attorney, I would reach out to them. I know my agency "intervenes" if OA agreements are not being honored. If not, and you have contact info, I think you should send something to them asking where your updates and pictures are....I am sorry that you haven't received them.
Good luck!!