Lawsuit: Christian Homes and Families

By Rally on 3-30-2015 in Adoption Agencies, Christian Homes and Families, Domestic Adoption, Kiara Citizen-Williams, Lawsuits

“Young, completely overwhelmed by life and questioning her ability to rear her little boy, Kiara Citizen-Williams reached out to Christian Homes and Families, an adoption agency.

She now calls it a catastrophic lapse in judgment.

“It shouldn’t have happened, but if this is what it took to realize I should have appreciated him more, I do. I just want my baby back home,” said Kiara, tears flowing down her 20 year old cheeks.

Five days after the call, Kiara says Melanie Wallace, a caseworker dispatched from Tyler, took her to a Houston UPS store just off Highway 290 where a document voluntarily relinquishing parental rights to her child was signed and notarized.

A random customer volunteered as a witness.

Assuring Kiara she was doing the right thing, the caseworker loaded up one-year-old Bryce and left town.

Within minutes the young mother said she’d changed her mind.

“Literally the next morning I was blowing up her phone, every single day, texting every single day. Can I see him? Is it a possibility to come talk to him?,” said Kiara.

State law allows parents 11 days to retract their decision to relinquish rights to their child – an option Kiara says the caseworker never revealed.

Kiara’s attorney Holli Palmer and community activist Quanell X contend Christian Homes and Families intentionally disregarded Kiara’s repeated phone calls demanding the return of her son and within days convinced a Ft. Worth judge to terminate the Houston woman’s parental rights.

“The law is there to protect that mother by saying there’s a cool off period. This agency did not respect that law, in fact, they totally ignored it,” said Quanell X.

With the help of her mother Erika, Kiara has filed legal action demanding Bryce’s return and the restoration of her parental rights. A hearing is scheduled for March 19th.

“I didn’t know how to break this news to my Mom. It broke her heart as well as mine,” said Erika Williams, Kiara’s Mother.

Kiara has not seen or spoken to her little boy in 40 days.

“There’s nothing right about what happened, nothing at all,” said Williams.

Christian Homes and Families Executive Director Sherri Stalter declined to discuss the facts of the case because of the pending litigation, but did tell Fox 26 that there are “two sides to this story.”

Stalter defended caseworker Wallace calling her a valued and deeply professional employee and says her agency has completed more than 2000 adoptions.

Stalter also said Kiara Citizen-Williams would be the first mother in at least a decade to change her mind about offering a child for adoption through Christian Homes and Families Services.”[Yeah right!]