Legal Question in Family Law in Ohio

I have a sister in law and brother in law that this question is for. My sister in Law married by husbands brother and she has a little girl that that she would like to have her husband adopt. Can they do this? The father pays Child Support $40.00 a week when ever he wants to see his little girl. So maybe around her Birthday he will pay for a couple of months back and current support (around April) and then around October and December he will do the same thing. He has never filed to see her he just pays and then will call after he pays and says I want to see her for a couple of hours. He takes her to McDonalds or a Movie somewhere they don't have to talk and then drops her back off. This past December he brought her home after driving drunk and on drugs and so my brother and sister in law have not let me have see her. He has not paid or called to see her since that time (a couple of weeks before Christmas) We are guessing that he will call around her Birthday again (April 12th) and pay child support and ask to see her. They have decided they are not going to let him see her any more unless he would take them to court and the judge would make them. Is there anything they can do in Ohio to be able to have her adopted by her step father? Thank You, Charity


Asked on 2/22/11, 5:57 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Erin Armstrong

Step-parent adoption may be possible in this circumstance. It is important for your sister-in-law and brother-in-law to seek legal advice if they wish to pursue it. Here is a brief blog post that I wrote on this topic. http://www.armstrongfamilylaw.com/1/post/2011/02/step-parent-adoption.html

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Answered on 2/23/11, 8:20 am


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