MacOn, Dublin & Savannah Railroad Co. v. Porter

Hewlett, Justice.

The question for decision is, where a child having a living father but no mother has been adopted by an aunt, has the relation between father and child been severed so completely as to prevent the child from recovering for the homicide?

While statutes providing that a widow or child may recover for the homicide of the husband or parent are strictly construed, because in derogation of common law, the same is true of adoption statutes taking away rights and privileges of minors. In 2 C. J. S. 374, § 6, it is said: “As the main purpose of adoption statutes is the promotion of the…