what to do??

[wonder2]

State:   Missouri

Posting for friend:

Bio-mother gave up custody at birth.  Bio-dad was not aware of baby but found out and requested paternity which proved he was the father.  Adoptive family refuses to give him custody and wants to pursue the adoption.  Father wants her but has been awarded by a Judge that he only get supervised visits every other week for one hour at the adoptive families home.  (Adoptive family is not foster family just someone that contacted local hospital and said they would like to adopt a baby and the hospital called them.  Is that even legal??)

Anyway..... Dad wants custody.  Baby is now a year old!!  What else can this man do?  I thought the biological parents were always suppose to given the first option to raise their child.

Isn't there something the attorney is missing to get this dad back custody??  To top things off the adoptive family is now discussing child support and back support but there shouldn't be if the dad wants to raise him.    ANY IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS??

[Kitty C.]

Sounds EXACTLY like a notorious case that happened here in Iowa a few years ago (maybe 10).  Mother gave baby up, but dad found out later and wanted custody.  In this case, I think the adoption had already gone thru or was close to final.  Two attys. here fought long and hard for the father and won custody, but in the process, the media swayed the public in vilifying the father for wanting to 'rip the child away from the ONLY love she's ever known'.  Regardless of the fact that the father tried desperately from the moment he found out to be involved in his child's life, but was thwarted constantly.  

Of course, the media had a field day with the exchange, showing the child crying her eyes out.  BUT...........in an ironic twist, the mother and father got back together, the girl has been with them for quite a few years now, and she's doing FINE.  Plus, since she was SO young when all this happened, she has absolutely NO recollection of the adoptive family.

The attorneys are Daniel Bray and Lori Klockau from Iowa City, IA and their number is 319-338-7968.  Ask about the Schmidt paternity case and they will either be able to give you the info on the case or point you in the direction where you can find it.