A Northport couple goes public today with their long struggle to regain custody of their adopted son after he was removed from their home in 2007 by child protective workers from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
In the first installment of a three-part series, reporter Beth Staples of the Kennebec Journal shows the determination of Russell and Eleanor Handler, who say the federal lawsuit they are preparing to file against DHHS will ?blow the doors off the building in Augusta.?
The Handlers? son David, now 12, has been adopted by another family in a different state. Maine DHHS has refused to comment on the case, citing confidentiality rules.
While state records show the Handlers have a history of mental illness and domestic violence, the wealthy couple says their parental rights have been violated and that documents related to their case must be made public. They are represented in their pending lawsuit by Bangor Attorney Joseph Badacci.
?The Handlers? attorneys argue if the public cannot check whether the rights of citizens are upheld in child custody cases then corruption in state agencies can exist.
In the federal lawsuit, the Handlers will claim DHHS violated Eleanor?s rights. Because of her mental illness, they said Eleanor was not competent to participate in the very process DHHS used to terminate her parental rights.
That will be for the court to decide. The larger question posed by the Handlers is about what is best for David.
Russell, a former yacht broker, and Eleanor, an ex-physician, believe they can provide for David?s best interests. The couple claim to have a loving life and resources to provide David top-notch educational opportunities and rich recreational and cultural experiences.
And as the couple?s sole heir, David would stand to inherit a fortune. Eleanor?s father, for instance, established a multi-million dollar trust in New York that is slated to go to Eleanor?s child upon her death.?
Read Part One of this story here.
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