BUT we can hope they win and put Britvan out of business and make other attorneys in the business think about a career change....
Couple sue adoption lawyers for $5million claiming: 'We wouldn't have adopted our son had we known he was ill'
By Simon NevilleA New York couple are suing their lawyers for $5million, claiming they were not told about the serious medical condition of their adopted son.
Lynell and Victor Jeffrey say they would not have adopted their son Ellington in 2006 had they known about the ‘severe neurological deficits’ they discovered following a CAT scan shortly after becoming the legal parents, court documents claim.
Lawyers for the defendants believe the ‘frivolous’ lawsuit, filed at Queens Supreme Court in New York, will fail – having already been thrown out by judges in Indiana where the child, who is now 5-years-old, was born.
Scott Agulnick of Greenblatt and Agulnick attorneys, representing Alyssa Seinden - one of the adoption lawyers named in the lawsuit - told MailOnline: ‘I hate to say it, but it almost seems like they have Buyers’ Remorse.’
The couple first approached the New York-based law office of Aaron Britvan in 2003, looking to adopt.
The process, which can last several years, took a turn for the best in 2006 when Britvan – who is the second person named in the lawsuit – received word from a client in Indiana of a pregnant woman looking to put her baby up for adoption.
The details were passed to the Jeffreys, who then contacted the mother directly and agreed to the adoption.
According to court documents, Britvan advised the Jeffreys to get an Indiana-based law firm to represent them, which they did and completed the documentation in Indiana.
Aaron "the man" Britvan, well known for baby selling
The couple allege that Britvan and Seiden should have informed them of any medical problems – which is the law in New York, but not in Indiana – and tried to sue them in the Midwest state.
But the court threw the case out, saying that Britvan and Seiden cannot be sued there because the firm is based in New York and outside its jurisdiction.
Now the couple are trying to sue the pair in New York, filing court documents in Queens Supreme Court.
Agulnick, acting for Alyssa Seinden, said: ‘Alyssa has dedicated her career to helping people adopt and this is how she was repaid.’
He added that his client had very little involvement in the case, calling it ‘underhand’ and ‘an abomination’ that she was named in the lawsuit.
Lynell Jeffery was reported in the New York Post as saying: ‘Ellington is a wonderful little boy, but this has been hard.’
Britvan's lawyer, Caryn Lilling, added: ‘This case was thrown out in Indiana, and it will be thrown out here as well.’
21 comments:
Love to see Britvan put out of business. Whenever I have written about adoption issues for Newsday, and I wrote four or five pieces for Newsday over the years, Britvan was always replying in the most vile way. I believe he himself is an adoptive father, and for a while at least he was the head of the some division of the bar association that included adoption.
I'd love to see his ass in jail, but that will never happen.
Lorraine from First Mother Forum
Yes Lorraine, Britvan is an adoptive father who once told Joe Soll that he knows what it is like to be adopted because he is an adoptive father! By that analogy I know what's like to have a penis, since I've 'had" one or two!
Lots of people praying this destroys him!
How wonderful for the child to know his "parents" wouldn't have wanted him if they had known he was defective merchandise. He certainly must feel secure in that family. Ha.
Well, if this case "destroys" the person who performed the adoption because the aparents win... that sets a pretty foul precedent for adoptees rights. Next you know, they'll try to give the child to the state for care and wash their hands of him.
Interesting that so many aparents would "choose differently"... considering original families have no choice who is born to them, and surely many adoptees would have chosen different aparents if they had been given a choice in the matter. The only people who seem to matter in this equation are the aparents. Sad.
I don;t see what it has to do with adoptee rights in terms of access to OBC.
And this is not the first case f its kind. It's called 'wrongful adoption" and adoption agencies have been sued before. The first reported successful case of wrongful adoption occurred in 1986 in Burr v. Board of County Commissioners of Stark County in Ohio. read this case and others here:
encyclopedia.adoption.com/entry/wrongful-adoption/
wow as an adopitve mom I am shocked to read this doesnt anyone care about the kids.I owldn't wan to see anyone in jail nor blame anyone.I am an adopitve mom with a loving heart. its all about the children all the law stuff, cases blah blah its about being a family!! no matter how you got there! I am blessed by adoption and so is my wonderful son!
"its about being a family!! no matter how you got there!":
With all due respect, it is attitudes like this that tune a blind eye that allow for kidnapping, stealing and trafficking of children for adoption.
It is for the well being of all parties - most of all the children - that we need to get rid of the bad apples. Britvan is rotten to the core.
Children and their families by birth and adoption deserve better that people who will sell them to the highest bidder or whomever pays what they demand.
see why turn it around like that .. I didnt mean no matter how you got there in a sense of buying I meant we are family threw adoption and we are a family no matter adoption or bio ! reading this website makes me feel because we have adopted we should be ashamed of it and we arent a family we are! You don't know my process to adopt and the reason's thats my son's story and when he is ready its for him to share its about the children! dont suggest I mean buying selling or whatever your referring to with an attny its about the children!
I am sorry you feel that way. Fact is this is not about YOU at all, so I don;t know about you or your family and have said nothing about you or them.
This is a post about notorious baby broker sbeing sued. If you are not a baby broker or someone suing one, this has ntohing to do with you or any other adoptitve parents or fmailies.
But do not tell me it doesn't matter how you get ther ebacuse it does. It matters very much! "The story" you tell your son amy or may not be the truth of HIS story and his original family's story. This is not calling YOU a liar,. it is to say that in MANY cases, adoption agencies tell you what you want to hear and give you "a stroy" that may or may not be true.
If you doubt me, please read about people who were deceived by adoption agencies they thought above reproach:
Orphaned or Stolen: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/schuster-institute-for-investigative-journalism/orphaned-or-stolen-the-us_b_825451.html
Duped by Indian adoption agency, US family cautions couples
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Duped-by-Indian-adoption-agency-US-family-cautions-couples/articleshow/5964751.cms
Read Julia Rollings story at: http://bittersweet-story.blogspot.com/
Read also: The Lie We Love by E.J.Graff
www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2008/10/.../the_lie_we_love -
The works of David Smolin on child trafficking: works.bepress.com/david_smolin/1/
This case has been dismissed in NY as well, as a matter of fact, it never even made it to trial!!
My name is Jack Britvan. I am Aaron Britvan nephew. After reading the trash talk from Mirah Riben and Lorraine Dusky I am at a loss for words. Well not at a total loss! To set the record straight.....Aaron Britvan is the most HUMBLE and HONEST person that I have ever had the pleasure to know. Yes he is my Uncle......so I'm sure you will discount my statement. I am not sure what experiences that either had .....there are always 2 sides to every story....Atleast once a year I run into a stranger who see's my last name and says "any relation to Aaron?.....We love him....we adopted our son/daughter thru Aaron" I have never heard one bad word about Aaron until the 2 of you via this blog decided to defame who many consider the foremost expert in Adoption. It is a sad day when people can hide behind their writings and make false and hurtful aqusations instead of doing their homework. Lorraine, since you are a reporter did it ever occur to you to request adoptive parents who worked with Aaron to speak to you. That sounds quite logical. There had to be a reason. Write what you will. Those who know Aaron are unscathed by your dark words!
Jack - I am not Lorraine but for every happy adoptive parent i can give you an unhappy, ripped-off natural mother! Sure his paid clientele are MOSTLY happy - except of course for those who are SUING his ass! The erst get what they pay for at any expense to the original mother: lies, deceit, whatever it takes to close the deal and get his fee.
FACT: Uncle AAron was involved with the adoptions of Mexican children through an illegal ring! http://articles.nydailynews.com/1999-05-29/news/18106613_1_adoptive-families-arlene-reingold-arlene-lieberman
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/31/nyregion/women-accused-of-baby-selling-used-a-friendly-approach.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
http://www.adoptionagencychecklist.com/page687.html
FACT: His name turns up again in this 1999 case of Lauren Schneider :
"Britvan says the adoption began to unravel when Kovacs lured the couple to that now-familiar diner without him. On a sheet of paper, he says, Kovacs made his cash demand: $ 120,000 for baby Nikolette. Without Kovacs' knowledge, the couple told their attorney about the outrageous request.
(Photo of Kovacs; diner table; "120,000" written on sheet of paper; photo of Nikolette; Britvan)
FRATANGELO: Could you ever see how $ 120,000 would be reasonable in an adoption?
Mr. BRITVAN: Absolutely not."
http://babyforsalemovie.blogspot.com/
He's so sleazy he gives LAWYERS a bad name!
If you want to go around countering all the blogs that mention his name in a bad light regarding adoption - and on Facebook - be my guest.
He makes his living destroying families to recreate new ones. That his paying clients are satisfied when they gate what they pay for is no surprise. Johns rarely complain about the hookers they pay, except when they get ripped off. Nor do drug addicts complain about their dealers.
He's a baby seller, and a lawyer who knows how to use legal loopholes to stay out of jail in a very loosely regulated industry.
In Guatemala many of the narco dealers turned to child trafficking because it was more lucrative and they were less likely to be caught or punished.
Something must have gone very wrong in your life to be so hateful. I'm sad for you....I really am. If you took the time to speak to the adoptive parents who applaude Aarons work then perhaps you would control your words and aqusations. I have no doubt that you believe that you are doing good. The reality in this situation is that you may and I say may know bits of truths. You are a women who is quite deliberate in stating your opinion no matter how accurate your information is. You have a right to say what you want....please just remember that what ever it was the made you want to protect children also altered your judgemnent. Aaron is a remarkable man. Stories can be fictional and non fictional. People lie and maneuver.....I know Aaron better than you......your remarks are insulting.....quoting inacurate articles and mean spirited individuals does not warrant mistatments on your or any others parts. Again I state I know Aaron better than you. How would you feel if I commented on one of your family members who I heard was a #$%^&*(@. I don't think you would be to happy.
Aaron Bitvan ONLY WORKS FOR THE ADOPTIVE PARENTS WHO WANT SEALED RECORDS; I only know of him because he is always writing against letting adoptees have their original birth certificates whenever I have written about it. He may be nice to his relatives and his clients, which is what I glean from his nephew. Good for him.
I am sorry for what some of these parents went through. But my experience is something different Aaron Britvan is a wonderful loving Lawyer. 27 years ago Jehovah God used him to answer the prayers of my wife and I. Because of Aaron we have had a wonderful happy life with 2 grandchildren. God bless Aaron Britvan.
I don't know anything about Aaron but there are some people who will do whatever they can to find universal fault with adoption to the extent that they believe it is never a solution. There are also those who see only the happy APs with successful stories.
The truth as usual lies somewhere in the middle with horrendous abuses occurring, destroyed families from fraud and plenty of adoptions that were Lawful ( not necessarily ethical) and some adoptions that turned out great.
There are birthfamilies who cannot or will not raise their child. There are families who could, but lack support. Some are even tricked or stolen. Some are paid to relinquish out of desperation, misunderstanding or greed.
There is no one size fits all in this. Every Mother and Father have their story and every AP has theirs. Adoption is about loss and making a better situation from a tragic one for the child.
Correct the abuses. Don't find fault with all aspects of adoption because your personal experience was negative. This isn't about YOUR OPINION ALONE either.
Very little is black and white in life and in adoption, it's almost all gray. We need tolerance and empathy to see that the correct solution is, unique to the specific circumstances of a family. (yes we should live in a world where we will feed and house and control births of all people so that no parent ever relinquishes a child for lack of money- -- but that isn't this world's reality now)
Neither the APs nor Birthparents needs and rights are what counts here- it is the best interests of the child once adoption is on the table. Until all parents can and do keep their kids- fostering and adoption is all we've got.
Let's work toward not needing to place out children and keeping them home whenever possible but don't paint all adoptions with one broad negative stroke either.
It is never that simple
My name is Darlene and I adopted the most precious little boy through Mr Britvan's office eleven years ago. Mr Britvan was the warmest man, who fully explained the process. He explained that WE were to do all the legwork, the investigating, the doctor visits, etc, but he showed us examples of each thing we needed to do. He told us how to protect ourselves from people who were looking to use the system for financial or other gains. He was never anything but professional and caring. As it turned out, my child developed some medical issues a few years back, things that would not show up on blood tests then. And you know what? He could've very well developed these issues had I birthed him! I never once thought, "I shouldn't have adopted him!" I thought, "Now what will we do to address said issues and heal our boy?" Adopters remorse?!? How horrific! People like that should never be allowed to have kids! I say sue the Social Worker for a failed Home Visit! That's a joke really, but obviously this couple needs a lot of prayers for their OWN spiritual healing. God forgives them, I pray their child does. Signed one grateful mommy.
No surprise that his paid clients love him.
I just came across this article after watching Long Lost Family on TV and saw Mr. Britvans name. I adopted my daughter in 1988 and Mr. Britvan was the one who helped me from the first step to the last. He has been nothing but forthcoming since I met him. As a matter of fact, he asked the birth mom pertinent questions that I was afraid to ask. He warned me about certain actions and showed me the right path to go down. I was very successful because of him and have nothing but praise for him. I'm not sure what happened with this couple, but even if my daughter had a problem, I still would have wanted her. If she had the child biologically, would she have thrown him away???
It's no surprise at all that he is a hero to his paid customers! he gets them the good they want!! I'd be surprised if it was any different.
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