A Nepali American Citizen, Ajay, and his American wife, Peggy, adopted a 16 year old teenage girl from Nepal striving to give her a better education and life while also ensuring that after she was established, she would help her biological family in Nepal and others if the opportunity arose. The problems began after she turned 18 and got her green card and escalated later when the couple and their 19 year old adopted daughter conflicted over priorities – college and career vs. boyfriends and her social life.
Ajay and Peggy tried to keep her focused on education. However, their daughter believed they were overly involved in her life. Numerous arguments ensued over priorities and responsibilities over the next 18 months. Eventually, after just such an argument Ajay and Peggy asked her to move out of their home.
Although she was over 20 years old at the time, Ajay and Peggy promised her biological family in Nepal they would continue to take care of her. She had not even finished with her third semester of college. They felt obligated to inform her biological parents that she had moved out of the house so she could socialize at all hours of the night, and was not doing well in school. The young woman interpreted this as an infringement on her freedom, and the arguments escalated. She retaliated by accusing them of physical abuse. Shocked, hurt, and saddened by her accusation, Ajay and Peggy disinherited her and withdrew all financial support. Angry and fearful of deportation to her native country of Nepal, a lifestyle she no longer desired, as well as being worried about having to be held accountable for her misbehavior, the accusation escalated from physical abuse to that of sexual abuse. |