Legal Question in Family Law in Florida

How to respond to summons to trminating parental rights

The situation that I am in is complex to me,and I do not know quite how to respond or what I should do.I was sentenced to 3yrs probation and probation transfer from fl. to ca.pending ca.approval,this was set down by the judge in my case.During this time I have been served with court papers of termination of my parental rights as the biological father by the biological mother that resides in fl.The new husband of my ex wife wants to adopt my son it has been close to eight yrs and my son is seventeen yrs old.Why she has waited until now to do all this I do not know,she has never gave me any way of contacting my son in any way,other than a cell phone # since our divorce in 2001 yes I know how to contact her but she has made it impossible for me to stay in contact with my son.Anyway I need to know what and how I should handle this situation,I have 20 days to respond to the summons and I was court ordered to transfer to ca.And by no means did I ever abandon my son by leaving fl.


Asked on 8/17/06, 4:21 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Yulema Figueroa Law Offices of Yulema Figueroa

Re: How to respond to summons to trminating parental rights

You need to file an "answer to petition" before the 20 calendar days are up. In your answer you simply state whether you "admit" or "deny" (agree or disagree with) the allegations contained in each of the paragraphs of the petition. Depending on your particular situation, you may also wish to file a counter-petition. If you need more than 20 days, you can file a motion for extension of time before the 20 days are up. Good luck.

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Answered on 8/19/06, 2:06 am


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