Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Aug 30, 2019
IN THE INTEREST OF: E.R.S., A child under seventeen years of age, D.R., Movant-Appellant v. T.J.B. and T.M.B., Respondents-Respondents
D.R., a putative father, moved to set aside the adoption of E.R.S., a child adopted by T.J.B. and T.M.B. The trial court granted the adoptive parents' motion to strike D.R.'s motion, finding it lacked authority to grant relief because D.R. was not a party to the adoption action. The appellate court dismissed the appeal for lack of appellate jurisdiction, concluding that because the trial court lacked authority to grant relief to a non-party, the appellate court similarly lacked jurisdiction to review the appeal on the merits.