The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has written to Maricopa County, Arizona Attorney Bill Montgomery asking why certain adoption benefits are being withheld from same-sex married couples, reports the Phoenix New Times.
Montgomery had already received a letter from ACLU last spring after an attorney at his office told a gay couple they would not be eligible for the free legal services advertised on the office’s website.
Ducey backs adoption by same-sex couples
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Montgomery failed to reply to the first letter. The ACLU warned of possible litigation if they had not received a reply by last Wednesday.
At the center of this case are married Maricopa County residents Leticia and Lenora Reyes-Petroff (above).
Planning to adopt a baby to which Leticia had given birth, Leonora discovered a document on the county attorney’s website that said legal fees for adoption services would be waived if the adoption is uncontested.
However, when she called the office, she was told those benefits don’t extend to “her type of people.”
Regarding the most recent letter, ACLU Legal Director Victoria Lopez said her office is “prepared to file litigation on behalf of our clients” if Montgomery fails to reply to the latest letter.
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