A Manhattan Supreme Court justice has refused to enforce a contract, entered into in 1959, when a man agreed to give up his daughter for adoption in exchange for $2.7 million in support and maintenance from his former father-in-law.
The court may not enforce a contract with the appearance of a cash exchange for an agreement regarding the status of children, Justice Edward H. Lehner said. Lehner said that such a contract is void because it is against public policy not only today but also when it was made more than 40 years ago.
