Facts: Mother and Father are the parents of three children. After one child was found to be severely malnourished, i.e., starving, all three children were…
This article by Elizabeth Harris in The New York Times will be of interest. Same-sex parents in Tennessee can relate. Same-Sex Parents Still Face Legal…
Well, that didn’t take long. A few weeks ago I wrote about the sudden avalanche of appellate decisions dismissing parental-rights-termination cases because the appellant’s lawyer…
Well, that didn’t take long. A few weeks ago I wrote about the sudden avalanche of appellate decisions dismissing parental-rights-termination cases because the appellant’s lawyer…
Facts: Mother and Father are the parents of Child. They never married. Child lived with Mother. The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) received a…
Facts: Mother gave birth to Child in 2002. In 2007, Maternal Grandmother obtained custody of Child. In 2015, Maternal Grandmother petitioned to terminate Father’s parental…
Dawn Coppock, Esq., is widely recognized as the preeminent authority on Tennessee adoption law. She also happens to be a wonderful person. When I was…
Facts: Mother is the biological mother of two children aged 3 and 4. At the time of their births, Mother was unmarried and resided with…
Facts: Child 1 was born in February 2009. Shortly thereafter, Father was placed on probation after pleading guilty to a drug charge. In July 2009,…
Facts: Child 1 was born in February 2009. Shortly thereafter, Father was placed on probation after pleading guilty to a drug charge. In July 2009,…
Facts: In 2011, Child was born to Mother and Father. At birth, Child weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Six months later, Child weighed a mere…
Once again, I am honored to have been selected by my colleagues in the Knoxville Bar as being among the best divorce, family law, child…
Once again, I am honored to have been selected by my colleagues in the Knoxville Bar as being among the best divorce, family law, child…
Things were relatively quiet on the family-law front this past legislative session. Notably missing, however, was any effort to update the various family-law statutes to…
Most termination of parental rights cases focus on grounds for termination. If grounds are proven, it often seems as if the second prong of the…