[Missybryan]

My husband would like to adopt my son. He is the only father he has ever known. I have had 4 DNA test and have yet to find the biological father. We live in Tennessee. What steps do we need to take in order to do this

[Fr_Chuck]

You will have to meet the courts rule on "searching" for the child father. So you have eliminated 4 possible fathers. No judgement, but how many possible are there? If there are two more for example, the court may require contact with them, if possibe.

Also the tests done, were they from good labs, not home tests

You will need an attorney for this, since it will be very omplicated

[Missybryan]

You will have to meet the courts rule on "searching" for the child father. So you have eliminated 4 possible fathers. No judgement, but how many possible are there? If there are two more for example, the court may require contact with them, if possibe.

Also the tests done, were they from good labs, not home tests

You will need an attorney for this, since it will be very omplicated

I was in a wild time in my life when I got pregnant with my son. I did not even know I was pregnant until I was 6 months pregnant. And no I did not think something funny when I didn't have a period because I hadn't had one in a year and I had took a test and it was negative. I tested everyone I thought from that time. When the first one was negative I freaked out cause I thought I knew for sure. Isn't there a way around that since the man hasn't ever laid eyes on him.

[ScottGem]

Yes, the way around it is to show the court you have made a good faith effort to find the father. Chuck didn't say you had to find the father, only that you need to convince the court that you have really tried. And that's just one of the reasons you need an attorney. Did you think you could do this without an attorney?

You should have no problem with your husband being able to adopt your child. You just need to make sure all the legal requirements are satisfied.

[stinawords]

You will need to hire an attorney. This is true even if one of those four had proven to be the father. The local attorney you hire will know better what the judge in your county will consider good faith. It was asked if the DNA tests were reliable ones not home ones for solid reason. If they were just home tests you will likely need to redo them because courts don't recognize them as reliable. If they were done at a proper facility then they may hold up.

Don't be surprised when the judge asks how many more possibilities there are. While it is still possible for the adoption to go through without finding the bio father, I wouldn't rely on the fact that he has never seen the kid to push it through. He hasn't ever known there is a kid to see.

[AK lawyer]

There is a father. What the others are saying is simply that the father has a right that a good-faith effort be made to give him knowledge that an adoption is in the works. It is likely that an adoption could be done without his consent, but he has the right to what lawyers call "notice and an opportunity to be heard". In other words, he has the right to make (if he chooses) whatever argument he might have (weak as it may be) that his legal relationship with the child (created by the act of procreation) not be terminated by an adoption.