Opinion ID: 2635796
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Text: ¶ 1 Petitioner Cody O'Dea appeals the district court's order dismissing his claim to establish paternity. The underlying issue in this case is whether the district court erred when it concluded that Mr. O'Dea waived any rights in relation to his child, including the right to assert paternity, the right to notice of any judicial proceeding in connection with the adoption of his child, and the right to consent to the adoption of his child. The district court concluded that Mr. O'Dea did not strictly comply with the criteria set forth in Utah Code section 78-30-4.14 (Supp. 2006) [1] after he was made aware that the birth mother was in Utah and therefore had no standing to assert any rights in relation to his child. Accordingly, the district court granted the Adoption Center for Choice's motion to dismiss. ¶ 2 Mr. O'Dea raises four issues on appeal. These are (1) whether the district court had an obligation to give full faith and credit to Mr. O'Dea's registration with the putative father registry in Wyoming; (2) whether a choice of law analysis should be used in applying Wyoming law since the most significant contacts during the relationship between Mr. O'Dea and the mother of his child were in Wyoming; (3) whether sections of the Utah Adoption Act unconstitutionally extend personal jurisdiction over out-of-state putative fathers, including Mr. O'Dea; and (4) whether sections of the Utah Adoption Act are facially unconstitutional because they do not provide immediate notice or a pre-deprivation hearing to putative fathers before preliminary placement of the child. ¶ 3 Mr. O'Dea did not raise any of these issues before the district court, and therefore they are not preserved on appeal. Furthermore, Utah Code section 78-30-4.14(11) is very clear that an unmarried putative father cannot maintain a right to consent to the adoption of his child unless he strictly complies with Utah law. Mr. O'Dea failed to comply strictly with Utah Code section 78-30-4.14(6) and has therefore waived all rights he may have had in relation to his child. The decision of the district court to grant the Center's motion to dismiss is affirmed.