My brother had a child with a woman 16 years ago. Now he's had a little contact with her and was paying child support until the mother asked him to give up his rights. He did it reluctantly beacause he now has a family and there were some issues with the kids involved. The 16 yeard girl now wants to live with her father as she wants to get to know him and his family and says that the mothers b/f is not nice to them. Does my brother have any rights and can the girl decide who she wants to live with? We have had some visits with her so its not like we don't know her at all. The mother has lied to the child about her father and the new b/f is telling the child that she is not my brothers but his??

Your brother should do everything possible to spend time with his daughter. He is a pretty crappy person for having an excuse"another family" this little girl is needing attention, and I really feel sorry for her having to have such a sorry excuse for a Dad, and such a wonderful life at home.

A father just can't give up his rights. The courts will not allow it. What it sounds like to me, is that the mother's boyfriend adopted the girl and your brother agreed to relinquish his rights to clear the way for the adoption.

If that is the case, your brother has no rights. He can't even contact the girl if her legal parents don't allow it. She will have to wait until she is 18 to have contact with him.

Sorry this isn't what you want to hear but it's the law.

How did he give up his rights? Was it done through a court or was it some piece of official looking paper he signed?