York v. Shows-Re

¶1 In 2005, the Washington State Supreme Court adopted the doctrine of de facto parentage. In essence, a nonparent petitioner may be recognized as a legal parent if the petitioner establishes four factors. This case presents the issue of whether de facto parentage may be extended to a stepparent of a child with two legal parents. We hold that the doctrine may be so extended if the stepparent petitioner establishes the relevant four factors, which include establishing that both legal parents consented to the stepparent being a parent to the child. We affirm the trial court’s denial of Ms.…