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The George Kelley Collection
Legal Stories
FATHERS IN LAW
Henry Cecil
Sphere, 1955.
Bison Catalog Record
Mary and Bill Woodthorpe are a wealthy British couple in their early 30s. Unable to have children of their own, they adopt an illegitimate 18-month old child whose natural mother claims that she has no knowledge of who the baby's father is. Several years later, things begin to get complicated when the natural father, Randolph West, who has been falsely imprisoned, is released from jail and claims that the adoption was made without his consent. Anxious to be reunited with his son, West immediately initiates an application with the British courts to set aside the original adoption order. He bases his claim on the grounds that he was deprived of his legal right to be heard before the order was made. Counselors present evidence and arguments from both sides before a compassionate judge who ultimately makes the difficult decision as to whether the child will remain with the adoptive family or be returned to his natural parents.