This is the story of a complicated, unique case decided by the Texas Court of Appeals. Two men first travel to Canada and thereafter to California for the purpose of creating a legal gay union. A surrogate was hired who bore a child for one of the gay men. A proceeding was brought in the State of California to establish both gay men as legal parents of the child. A lawsuit was brought in the State of Texas to dissolve the marriage. However, since Texas didn’t recognize the marriage, they couldn’t dissolve it. Texas courts will not acknowledge same sex marriages from other states.
California Parenting Judgment
In the State of California, the two men were considered legal parents of the child. They obtained from California a pre-birth declaration of parentage. This is pursuant to the Uniform Parentage Act, which is a valid statute in California. This is a legal device designed to allow gay couples to use a surrogate and have both men be designated as a parent of the child. This unusual statute created difficulties when the two men broke up.
Break-up for Gay Couple
Although break-ups between heterosexual couples can be complicated and nasty, the break up of two male parents of a child is both unusual and involves complex legal issues. In this case, the biological parent, after the break-up, claimed that the non-biological parent had no parental rights. The Texas Court of Appeals disagreed with the argument of the biological parent. They found that under the Uniform Parentage Act, both parents had equal rights similar to a heterosexual couple.
Fathers’ Rights Attorneys In New York
The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo has been defending fathers’ rights in matrimonial and family law cases for more than 45 years. We litigate issues such parental alienation, parental alienation syndrome, relocation problems, equitable distribution of assets in divorce, child abuse defenses and prosecutions by Child Protective Services (CPS) and Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) for child abuse.
In divorce cases, we assist our clients concerning child custody, child visitation, child support and spousal maintenance (alimony) issues. If our clients are charged with domestic violence, we litigate the orders of protection that are taken out against them by their spouses. When fathers have financial difficulties, we bring downward modification of support proceedings. We also litigate the issue of paternity on behalf of our clients.
Call us for a free consultation. Our office numbers are 1-800-344-6431, 516-561- 6645 and 718-350-2802. Our phones are monitored 24/7.
