Petitioning the Court Where Adoption was Finalized?

Question

Has anyone petitioned the Court to have their adoption records released to them?

I'm doing this right now, the petition asks you to show 'good cause'

What would constitute 'good cause' ?

Answer 1

Yes, I had to do this.  My good cause was:  accurate medical history for me and my descendants

Answer 2

in WI, you odn't have to petition a court in the jursidiction where you were adopted -- you can petition in any county and any judge can sign off on it (could be a probate judge, criminal court, judge, etc -- it doesn't have to be a family court judge).

Good cause is pretty much up to the judge.  very few states have it spelled out.  best chances are to claim a medical issue with the documentation to back it up though.

Answer 3

other than THEIR YOURS which i dont think will work, i would try the medical angle. your health and any children you have could use this info.

that seems to be the most legitimate reason, or at least the one they cant really argue with.

good luck!!!!

Answer 4

Boy, this is a tricky one. Of course, you cannot use "because I'm curious" that wouldn't sit well with the courts. My suggestion is this, contact a lawyers office and present the question to them. I'm sure that a lawyer will be kind enough to answer that for you. Lawyers deal with judges everyday and they will know what answer the judge is looking for. You will have to be very careful when answering this one, you don't know what judge you will go before and what his/her personal opinions of searching for your birth family are. This will, unfortunately, play a large paret in the judges ruling. I wish you all the luck in the world, I found my birth family on my own but I've been looking for a brother for years and noone will release any information to me.

Answer 5

Because it's up to the judge, it would be helpful to know what reasons the judge has accepted in the past.  If you know which court you are petitioning, and can do some research on the judge's past decisions, you may be able to glean some idea of the kinds of reasons the judge has accepted in the past.  (That's a lot of research, though, and I'm not sure how many of those records will be public.  I somehow doubt the court clerk would answer the question, but it might be worth asking.)  Medical reasons may be sufficient, but then you are likely to need some offer of proof, generally from a doctor.  If you have such a reason, that's probably your best bet without doing more research.

Good luck!

Answer 6

1)Health medical reasons..

2)Maybe if not knowing your past is causing you great psychological trauma and distress.

(Need a doctors letter for that...)

3) You suspect you were stolen from your family and you want the government to prove you were not..

4) Because it's your info.. your life.. unless you are a slave their is no reason you can't know about your own life..

Answer 7

Heather, you're New York, right?  NY is very much like California.  In California it is entirely up to the discretion of the judge.  Good cause is considered a very high burden to meet.  Medical information is not normally considered a good cause.  Even serious medical conditions requiring marrow transplants have been denied as good cause.  "They are mine" along with "I'm already reunited" weren't adequate, either.  I tried that.  No one was able to tell me what may constitute good cause.

The suggestion to find out which judges have opened and for what reasons is the best way to go, since these things are at the discretion of each individual judge.  One state I know that will allow access with a court petition is Nevada, as they do not have a "good cause" clause.  Just the petition itself will normally do.

Answer 8

In MN, just getting medical information is good enough cause.  I know two people who did so.