Celebrity must remain on surrogate-born child’s birth certificate

For nearly two years, television personality, Sherri Shepherd, has fought to sever ties with a son born to her and ex-husband Lamar Sally via a surrogate. Most recently, the former co-host of the talk show, The View, sought to have her name removed from the birth certificate of the 1-year-old boy. However, the court ruled against Shepherd on Monday, Nov. 23, saying her name must remain on the birth certificate. Additionally, Shepherd must continue making child support payments to Lamar Sally.

The 1-year-old was born last year after Shepherd and Sally split up. Shepherd was not present at the boy’s birth and her name did not originally appear on the birth certificate. Shepherd has refused to acknowledge the child and since his birth, she has fought to keep her name off of the birth certificate. Earlier this year, a lower court ruled that Shepherd is the boy’s legal mother. Monday’s ruling upholds the lower court’s decision about having Shepherd’s name on the birth certificate.

In August, Shepherd told People Magazine that she agreed to the surrogacy despite the marital issues she and Sally were experiencing. The star cited fear of losing her husband as the main catalyst for her decision to move forward with the surrogate pregnancy. Unfortunately, she and Sally split up anyway, leaving the care of the child in the hands of his father, Lamar Sally. Shepherd says Sally is happy caring for the child, adding that there is nothing she can do except to move on.

Couples who have children via surrogacy can experience the same family law issues as parents who have their children naturally. While some matters are more complex than others, it is important for New Jersey residents to know that a family law attorney can provide solutions to help all parties move forward with their lives as quickly as possible.

Source: People, “Sherri Shepherd Must Remain on Birth Certificate of Son Born Via Surrogate, Pay Child Support,” Diane Herbst, Nov. 24, 2015

Carrie S. Schultz, Esq. – author

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