The Indiana Court of Appeals stood up for an incarcerated father's rights in a recent adoption appeal. The father was incarcerated for delivering a lethal dose of pain medication to the child's mother (who was suffering from Crohn's disease). While incarcerated, the maternal grandparents filed a petition to adopt the child. The incarcerated father asked for a court-appointed attorney to fight the adoption petition, but the court ignored his request and granted the maternal grandparents' adoption. The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the adoption due to the trial court's failure to appoint an attorney and follow the adoption statutes. This case once again underlies how critical it is to precisely follow the adoption statutes in order to avoid an overturned adoption and tumult for the children.