My daughter Veronica is a happy, bouncy, joyful and much-loved child. She is not a baby anymore. She's a little girl who looks forward to running to greet me when I get home from work, to riding with her papa on his tractor and eating her grandmother's good cooking. She has a big sister she looks up to and adores. I am not a perfect person. I am a just a regular guy who goes to work every day to support his family and serves in our Army. More than anything, I am like any father who will do everything to make sure my children are loved, provided for, and protected. Like any father, my children are my world. Like any father, I want what is best for my daughter. All last year, I tried to abide by the court order we were all under to not speak publicly on this case. I understood that it was put in place to protect my daughter's privacy. To me, she was more important than getting into a public battle, even if it meant not defending myself against all the dishonest things reported about me. So much has been said about me and the time surrounding my daughter's birth. I know it's impossible to try to answer every false detail put out there, but here is the truth: My world was ripped apart when Veronica's birth mother, Christy, ended our engagement suddenly and shut me out of her life foreverGet the Story:
Dusten Brown: Parents at odds; 1 little girl in the middle: The father's story (The Tulsa World 7/24) Another Side:
Christy Maldonado: Parents at odds; 1 little girl in the middle: The mother's story (The Tulsa World 7/24) Supreme Court Decision:
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl (June 25, 2013) Oral Argument Transcript:
Adoptive Couple v. Cherokee Nation (April 16, 2013) South Carolina Supreme Court Decision:
Adoptive Couple v. Cherokee Nation (July 26, 2012) Related Stories:
Tribal organizations plan lawsuit on behalf of Baby Veronica (7/22)
South Carolina's top court approves adoption of Cherokee girl (7/17)
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