questions & answers

Question: I’ve been paying Jasper for eight years. And I just found out that her stepdad adopted my daughter. Without my knowledge. Being that he adopted or am I obligated to continue to pay child support? Of course I will continue to support her. I just wanna know what my options are

Answer: In order for a stepparent adoption to take place, the biologic father's parental rights must be legally severed or he must voluntarily relinquish those rights and that relinquishment must be acknowledged by the court.  You should know if that ever happened.  If you suspect some sort of fraud to deprive you of parental rights, you should talk to a lawyer.  If you are paying child support through the court and you know the child has been legally adopted by the step father, you can file a motion with the court to end support.  If you would like to discuss your rights with an attorney there are three programs in Arizona that you can use to get inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the modest means program.  You will need to apply for the program and meet the financial qualifications.  Once you are qualified, Modest Means will send you a list of attorneys whose practice covers your area of concern.  You select a lawyer from the list and will be entitled to a one hour consultation for $75.  If you need additional help and if the lawyer agrees to take your case, the most you will be charged is $75 per hours.  the telephone number is (866) 637-5341.  Both Maricopa County and Pima County have lawyer referral programs that offer a 30 minute consult with an attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consult with an experienced attorney for $40.  The telephone number is  (602) 257-4434.  Pima County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute attorney consult for $35.  The telephone number is (520) 623-4625.