Florida’s 2012 Angel in Adoption Home at Last Court Rulings UPDATED

We spoofed Home at Last Adoption Agency’s nomination earlier this month. This July 24, 2012 opinion finds in favor of the birthfather who was lied to.

This 5-page pdf explains how the birthmother lied, how Home at Last placed the child out of state, and how the original judge made the father pay child support to the APs at one point in time! Home at Last tried to argue that the father had abandoned his child. Sigh.

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: Hat tip to a reader for forwarding this on.

Now another court ruling from a different case comes to light. It is the craziest ruling I have ever seen. The adoptive parents agree and have filed jointly with Home at Last that it was A-OK to overpay! See here

Excerpt: “In this unusual adoption case, Appellant and Appellees filed a joint appeal of the lower court’s “Order Approving Fees, Costs and Expenses.”¹ The parties both present the same argument, which is that the lower court erred when it refused to sign the Final Judgment of Adoption until satisfactory proof was supplied to the court that Home At Last Agency, Inc. refunded to the adoptive parents $17,225 of the $21,225 in fees they had already paid to Home At Last. In essence, the adoptive parents argue they do not want a refund and that the fee is fair and reasonable; both parties contend that the lower court erred in refusing to sign the Final Judgment of Adoption until this refund is paid.”

You see, the lower court during the adoption finalization said, ” Home At Last was entitled to only $4,000 in fees and therefore it must refund $17,225 to Appellees. The lower court did not indicate how it determined that $4,000 was a reasonable fee nor did it explain the grounds on which it found the other fees unreasonable.”

There was a “$375 fee for birth mother counseling was included as part of the fees paid to Home At Last, but this fee was not included in the fees approved by DCF.”

The appellate court reversed “part of the Order Approving Fees, Costs and Expenses requiring a refund in the amount of $17,225 to Appellees. We also reverse that part of the Order withholding entry of the final judgment until the refund amount is paid. We remand this case to the lower court to enter the Final Judgment of Adoption, if the adoption is otherwise in order, and to amend the Order to require a refund of $375. The remaining portion of the Order, which awards costs and fees not at issue here, is affirmed.”

Congrats to paying over $17K more, I guess!