What happens when an adoptive parent and a biological parent disagree on who gets custody of a child? This type of child custody dispute does occur and can bring to the forefront the debate over whether the child's best interests are actually put first.

One particular custody dispute caught the nation's eye when a woman who had adopted a little girl fought with the girl's biological father for sole custody. Just last week the custody case was resolved after a nearly three-year legal battle.

The woman became the custodial parent of the girl after she was born; the biological mother chose the woman to take the little girl. Though the biological father was not involved, he sought to gain custody of the child when he heard about her birth, claiming parental rights. However, the father had previously been convicted of domestic abuse and child endangerment.

Many believed that the custody battle would reach the U.S. Supreme Court. It was a fundamental example of determining the child's best interest balanced with a parent's rights. However, the two parties reached a deal that gives full custody to the adoptive mother and allows for supervised visits between the daughter and her biological father who lives in Ohio.

The woman knows that the custody dispute was worth the end result. But should all adoptions result in such extensive legal battles? The woman has stated that legislators need to work to change custody laws to ensure that the child's best interests are the top priority in an adoption, similar to the standards in a custody dispute following a divorce.

Source: Rancho Santa Margarita Patch online, "Baby Vanessa Custody Goes to Doss," Martin Henderson, 16 March 2011