Sunday, February 28, 1999
Judge gets angry letters for ruling
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — Letters from across the nation show nearly unanimous, deep-rooted anger over a Northern Kentucky judge's ruling in an interstate custody battle.
There are about 60 letters in court files in Kenton Circuit Court, from as far away as California. Many are from northeastern Ohio, where 2-year-old Justin has been living with Rich and Cheryl Asente in Girard, Ohio, since he was 11 months old.
Addressed to Kenton Circuit Judge Patricia Summe, the letters express outrage, sadness and disbelief over her decision earlier this month to invalidate consent-to-adoption forms that Regina Moore and Jerry Dorning, an unmarried Covington couple, signed before letting their son Justin go live with the Asentes.
The judge also ruled that Justin should be returned to the unmarried Covington couple.
“Your decision to return custody of Justin to his biological parents is wrong in every sense of the word,” wrote Julie Fleming of Maineville, Ohio. “It is clearly not in Justin's best interests to be removed from the home he has grown to love and be accustomed to.”
She is especially upset by the fact that the judge's final ruling, which could happen on March 16, could separate Justin from his older biological brother, Joey, 3. The Asentes adopted Joey when he was 11 days old.
“If he stays with his adoptive parents, he already has a stable environment — both parents and a blood brother,” Ms. Fleming wrote.
A Westwood woman noted she gave up her child for adoption about four decades ago. She said that gives her a special understanding of the case.
“As you can see, I ... know all too well the emotional portion of this story,” she writes. “But I think your decision to send Justin back to his birth mother is wrong. Any woman can become a birth mother ... but it takes a woman with inner strength and love to be a real mother.”
Judge Summe would not comment on the case.
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