PLEADINGS

(a) and (b). Reserved. (c) Names. Proof of full legal names shall be required in all cases, unless excused by the judge for good cause. (1) Of petitioners . The name of the petitioner or petitioners shall be set forth in the title of the action. Wherever names appear in the pleadings, they shall be written in full and without initials. The name of a person legally married or who entered into a civil union shall include the person’s first or given name, the person’s middle name, if any, the person’s surname prior to the marriage or civil union, and if the person has assumed it, the surname of their partner, and the same procedure shall be required of a widow and of a divorcee who retains the surname of their former spouse or partner. (2) Of individual . The title of the action shall not include the name of the individual to be adopted but shall identify the individual only by its sex and date of birth. In a nonconsent petition, when it is necessary to allege and prove certain grounds which permit dispensing with the consent, the name of the minor child sought to be adopted shall be included in the allegations but not in the title. (d) Signing of petition. Every petition for adoption shall be signed by the petitioner or petitioners and may be executed under penalty of perjury. (e) More than one individual in a petition. The filing of one petition for adoption of more than one individual shall be allowed only when the individuals who are born in or out of wedlock are full siblings and all of the individuals are being adopted by the same petitioner or petitioners. Separate petitions shall be filed when the individuals are born out of wedlock to the same mother but different fathers. (f) - (h). Reserved. (Amended July 9, 2025, effective January 1, 2026.)