California woman, Ohio man settles [sic] adoption battle
Posted: 03/15/2011 12:03:50 PM PDT
Updated: 03/15/2011 05:29:50 PM PDT
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif.—A California woman has won full custody of a nearly 3-year-old girl she has cared for since birth after settling a heated court battle with the child's father and grandmother in Ohio.
Stacey Doss, a 46-year-old public relations consultant, said Tuesday that the settlement was reached in an Ohio courtroom where the girl's father was seeking custody.
Doss said she began the process of adopting baby Vanessa before she was born to a woman who said she had gotten pregnant during a one-night stand.
Shortly after the girl's birth, Benjamin Mills Jr. filed for custody and took a DNA test that proved he was Vanessa's biological father, halting the adoption proceedings.
Mills, his mother, and Doss became immersed in an interstate court battle over the future of the girl.
Doss was ordered to return Vanessa to Ohio in July but appealed and was granted a stay to keep the girl until further notice.
The settlement reached Monday awards full custody to Doss and visitation rights to Vanessa's paternal grandmother, provided Doss withdraws her adoption petition. Paperwork has yet to be signed to put the settlement into effect.
Doss, who lives in suburban Rancho Santa Margarita, some 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles, said she was shocked and pleased by the settlement and hopes the families can work together for Vanessa's sake.
"I am Vanessa's mother. She calls me Mommy," Doss said Tuesday. [If I call my lover 'Tiger' does that make him Tiger? If he calls me"baby" does that make me a baby?] "We have the relationship we have and I know what it is. That is really all that matters. The rest of it is kind of legalese." [And blood, and DNA, and heritage, and genealogy....]
Doss said she is still worried about Vanessa's safety because Mills has a history of domestic violence.
Mills was convicted of domestic violence in 2005 and sentenced to a year in prison, according to court records in Montgomery County, Ohio. His attorney, Ed Marks, declined to discuss any criminal history his client may have had.
Under the settlement, Vanessa will visit with her paternal grandmother twice in the next six months. A therapist will then evaluate how Vanessa has handled the meetings.
Attorneys for Mills said he hopes for Vanessa to establish a relationship with his family, including his two other daughters who live in the area of Dayton, Ohio.
"All parties felt this is the best way to move forward in the best interest of this little girl," said Marks, one of Mills' attorneys at Legal Aid of Western Ohio.
Doss said she began the process of adopting baby Vanessa before she was born to a woman who said she had gotten pregnant during a one-night stand.
Shortly after the girl's birth, Benjamin Mills Jr. filed for custody and took a DNA test that proved he was Vanessa's biological father, halting the adoption proceedings.
Mills, his mother, and Doss became immersed in an interstate court battle over the future of the girl.
Doss was ordered to return Vanessa to Ohio in July but appealed and was granted a stay to keep the girl until further notice.
The settlement reached Monday awards full custody to Doss and visitation rights to Vanessa's paternal grandmother, provided Doss withdraws her adoption petition. Paperwork has yet to be signed to put the settlement into effect.
Doss, who lives in suburban Rancho Santa Margarita, some 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles, said she was shocked and pleased by the settlement and hopes the families can work together for Vanessa's sake.
"I am Vanessa's mother. She calls me Mommy," Doss said Tuesday. [If I call my lover 'Tiger' does that make him Tiger? If he calls me"baby" does that make me a baby?] "We have the relationship we have and I know what it is. That is really all that matters. The rest of it is kind of legalese." [And blood, and DNA, and heritage, and genealogy....]
Doss said she is still worried about Vanessa's safety because Mills has a history of domestic violence.
Mills was convicted of domestic violence in 2005 and sentenced to a year in prison, according to court records in Montgomery County, Ohio. His attorney, Ed Marks, declined to discuss any criminal history his client may have had.
Under the settlement, Vanessa will visit with her paternal grandmother twice in the next six months. A therapist will then evaluate how Vanessa has handled the meetings.
Attorneys for Mills said he hopes for Vanessa to establish a relationship with his family, including his two other daughters who live in the area of Dayton, Ohio.
"All parties felt this is the best way to move forward in the best interest of this little girl," said Marks, one of Mills' attorneys at Legal Aid of Western Ohio.
1 comment:
At least Mr. Mills was sparred the Montgomery County Ohio "Bovenzi" treatment. In other words, Mr. Mills, even though it appears is being persecuted by indictment for what seems like frivolous reasons, can at least for the moment breathing. Also his daughter, even though suspiciously semmingly sold by the Montgomery county protective services, has lost her father to a very broken system though not to the lord. If anyone should look into what montgomery count's "Bovenzi treatment is, perhaps then a little girl born with the name Bovenzi, might be able to get the justice she has been denied since 2002. So as it stand do date, Mr. Mill's daughter might not have suffered what seems to be the ultimate theft by a county, The death of her father.
How many children can a County steal from their fathers? In montgomery county ohio, it seems like as many as there are political enemies.
Please someone help Mr. Mills with his dilema, he will need it and so will many more fathers in montgomery county.
In other parts of the country, I think they call it Child stealing or perhaps kidnapping. In Montgomery County Ohio, it seems to be called prudent termination of noisy fathers. What A County! Please also someone look into the Luigi Bovenzi unsolved murder. With a system like montgomery county domestic relations seeking to seemingly denfend the indefensible even if it gets the father murdered, seems like no family is really safe. Someone needs to peel of some layers of denial in that couty.
GOD BE WITH MR. MILLS. GOD BE WITH MR. BOVENZI.
GOD HELP THE CHILDREN STOLEN FROM THEIR FATHERS.
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