Friedhelm D. v. John H.

Opinion

CROSBY, Acting P. J.

Under the guise of a Civil Code section 224 proceeding to dispense with a natural father’s consent for a stepparent adoption, the superior court essentially terminated the father’s parental rights on the basis of abandonment (Civ. Code, § 232, subd. (a)(1)), although a cause of action under the latter section had been dismissed without prejudice. We reverse.

I

Allison H. was born in August 1979. Her parents, who had lived together for several years before her birth, separated when she was one year old. Her mother, Charlene P., sued in 1981 to establish a parent/child…