Upon birth mother's death, my adoption file was to be opened and all material therein was to be given to me. When the contents of the file were mailed to me, I realized that some important information that I knew to exist in the file had been withheld. Upon contact, agency claimed a right to withhold the information in question. (The missing information I am seeking is from interviews between birth mother and agency, as well as between adoptive mother and agency.) As the adoptee, I feel it's my right to obtain the notes (which I know, per phone conversations with an agency representative that predate the unsealing of the file) include information about my background/the genesis of my adoption.
I'm not sure if I need an adoption lawyer, a family lawyer, a probate lawyer or a lawyer skilled in freedom of information.
Quick reply - information wrongfully withheld by adoption agency:
Go to the county of the adoption and contact the county clerk to learn the rules about obtaining information a closed adoption. Indiana adoption records are sealed by the court. The prospective foster/adoptive parents may be single or married. The cost of working with an attorney and not involving an agency may range from $10,000 to $50,000 and averages $9,000 to $16,000.
- ISDH: Adoption Information - IN.gov
- ISDH: Adoption Matching Registry - IN.gov
- Adoption & Birth Certificates/Records
- Home Study Requirements for Prospective Foster Parents
- Indiana Court of Appeal Rules on Wrongful Adoption Case
- Protecting the Rights of Hard to Place Children in Adoptions
How to find an excellent lawyer for your "adoption" case? Browse our list of Family law attorneys near you and resolve your issue! Compare attorney fees, experience, reputation among clients, and services offered.
A Family attorney in the United States is a lawyer who assists clients with civil legal matters, such as "child custody", "alimony", "domestic violence" or "divorce" cases. The "family law" candidate should have at least 2 years of family law experience. These experiences may include divorce proceedings as well as child custody and counseling. Browse our database of family lawyers and get a free family law consultation.
- Marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships (domestic violence)
- Adoption and surrogacy
- Child abuse and child abduction (child custody, child care)
- The termination of relationships and ancillary matters, including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, child custody and visitation, child support and alimony awards
- Juvenile adjudication
- paternity testing and paternity fraud
- more about family law at wikipedia
If you want to obtain your amended birth certificate after adoption, you can request it simply by completing the online form, paying the government fees and submitting it to your birth state’s Vital Records office. However, adult adoptees do not have automatic access to their sealed original birth certificates. If you want to obtain your original birth certificate you will need to access your sealed adoption records.
Because each state, and county is different, your first step should be to contact the county office clerk where the adoption took place to learn how you can access your sealed adoption papers. Once you understand the regulations, you will be required to complete a petition form to get a court order to obtain your records.
If your petition is approved a court date will be set and you will need to explain to a judge why you need to access your adoption records (reasons given must be related to an emergency rather than to a personal basis, i.e. medical reasons.) If granted access you may then view the information and request a copy of your original birth certificate.
Source: https://www.usbirthcertificates.com/articles/birth-certificate-adopted