In the recent matter of In re Adoption of M.E.I., a Minor, Appeal of D.D.L., Father, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court helped clarify the process for a stepparent to adopt a child.

In M.E.I. the child-at-issue (the child) was born during the marriage of C.J. (the mother) and D.D.L. (the father). Unfortunately the mother and the father divorced when then the child was 2 years old. For about a year’s time the father was actively involved in the child’s life, having custody of the child every other weekend. At the time, the father was living with his parents who also enjoyed a good relationship with the child. When the child was 3 years old, the relationship between the father and his parents deteriorated to the point where the father moved out of his parents’ house.