Rich New York Woman Gave Up Two Chinese Children She Adopted, Currently Embroiled In Lawsuit

New York widow gives up Chinese children

By most accounts, Chinese children adopted by American families live better lives than they would have back home. It’s not really even close, in many cases, as the difference is quite literally that between a first-world country and a third-world environment. You can scan this adoption network’s FAQ to get an idea of the conditions from which many children are plucked.

But not all adoption stories have happy endings. Take this exceptional case out of New York involving Christine Svenningsen, 55, a rich widow who gave up not one, but two children she adopted from China. According to the NY Daily News:

A wealthy widow who gave up her Chinese daughter for readoption after eight years — then tried to cut the girl out of her husband’s $250 million estate — had years earlier dumped another baby she adopted from China, the Daily News has learned.

The boy was named Eric. Note to prospective parents: children are not generally regift-able. Last month, a state appeals court rejected Svenningsen’s incredible demand to cut her first adopted child, Emily, out of her husband’s will.

Emily is now with another family, where court filings show she’s much better. For one, “she’s able to sit at the same dinner table with the rest of her family, unlike when she lived with the Svenningsens,” according to Daily News. Her new mom, Maryann Campbell, called the Svenningsen court case a “debacle.”

We’re not sure what became of Eric. Svenningsen, in court, said she gave him up because she “couldn’t handle seven children.” One wonders how she got past one.

New York widow in $250 million estate battle gave up another child from China (Daily News via Gawker; h/t Alicia)

    4 Responses to “Rich New York Woman Gave Up Two Chinese Children She Adopted, Currently Embroiled In Lawsuit”

    1. Amanda R.

      Wow, I remember reading about little Emily’s case about 2 weeks ago, but I had not heard that she had also rejected an earlier adopted child. As someone who has spent years trying to adopt (partly the reason for my husband and I even moved to China), this case just sickens me.

      Reply
    2. SeaHorse

      “I can’t handle Seven Children” You’d think she would have thought about that before adopting 2 kids.

      Of course, she has the went to China and saw some poor orphans and with good intentions grab one like a Louis Vuitton bags. I’d like to assume she adopted them back when Madonna and Angelina Jolie went on an adopting foreign kids spree but that would be presumptuous to think she was so fashionable. Good on the father for specifically naming her and putting a drop of his fortune in his will for her.

      Reply
    3. Ryan

      I’m surprised the kids weren’t sent back to China. Isn’t that what normally happens for abandoned adoptions?

      Reply

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