Kansas Court of Appeals Appropriately Considers Child’s Best Interests in Denying Stepfather’s Petition to Adopt Child.

In the Matter of the Adoption of V.A., Docket No. 126,006 2023 WL ______ (Unpublished Kan. Ct. of Appeals October 20, 2023. Seward Dist. Ct., J. Ambrosier, Affirmed). It is not an error for the District Court, under K.S.A. 59-2136(h)(2)(A), for a District Court to consider the best interests of a minor child as the basis for denying a stepfather’s petition to adopt his stepson.  The district court erred by finding the natural father’s consent was unnecessary without also terminating his parental rights, but that error was harmless because the petition was not ultimately granted.