Faith and credit: Lesbian wins adoption rights case in Florida
”Florida law specifically provides that adoption decrees from other states must be recognized in this state. Regardless of whether the trial court believed that the Washington adoption violated a clearly established public policy in Florida, it was improper for the trial court to refuse to give the Washington judgment full faith and credit.”
Judge Whatley from part of a decision by the Lakeland, FL appeals court which has decided that a Kimberly Ryan did not have the right to bar keep her former lesbian lover, Lara Embry, from seeing their jointly-parented daughter. In a complicated case, it is reported that Embry and Ryan had one child each and that they had adopted each other’s child. However, after moving from Washington state (where their adoptions were legal) to Florida, the couple broke up and Ryan refused to allow Embry visitation of their daughter. An earlier trial ruled in favor of the child’s biological mother Ryan, who is now married to a man, and based their ruling on Florida’s state-wide ban of same-sex couples being allowed to adopt. (Courthouse News Service)
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