Adoption court dictates that Glenna Bevin, the ex-first lady of Kentucky, is prohibited from engaging with her adopted son, Jonah.
In a court hearing last month, 18-year-old Jonah Bevin requested that his adoptive parents, Matt Bevin and Glenna Bevin, be ordered to have no contact with him. The case, which is under Creative Commons license, has been reprinted from the Kentucky Lantern, a publication of States Newsroom.
Jonah Bevin, now an adult, has accused his adoptive parents of abuse and neglect, alleging that they abandoned him at age 17 in a brutally abusive youth facility in Jamaica. He believes they were trying to 'make him disappear.'
The Bevins have not responded to requests for comment. However, a protective order issued by Jefferson Circuit Judge Angela Johnson requires them to provide all information about Jonah's adoption and his biological family within seven days.
Jonah's independent inquiry has not identified any proof that his mother or other relatives exist. He is eager to learn any information about his mother or other relatives, but a person who holds this information has not been named in the provided information.
The media company, The Courier Journal, argues that the case is of public interest, while Jonah needs the information to protect his interest due to lack of support from his adoptive parents. Jonah and the media company have both filed motions asking that the divorce settlement between the Bevins remain public.
In the motion filed by Louisville lawyers John Helmers Jr. and Melina Hettiaratchi, it states that no one with Jonah's interest is involved in the litigation.
Another hearing in the case is scheduled for April 21 to decide whether to seal the Bevins' proposed divorce settlement. Additionally, a judge has issued a restraining order barring Glenna Bevin from any contact with her adopted son, Jonah Bevin. Matt Bevin is already subject to a six-month protective order barring him from any communication or contact with Jonah.
Dawn J. Post, a lawyer representing Jonah, has been unable to verify the existence of a mother in Ethiopia whom Jonah had been told was dead since his adoption by the Bevins at age 5. Jonah's best guess is that his parents never revealed their abuse and neglect of him to the court, including their failure to meet his basic needs and provide a safe home and complete education as required by law.
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