Madonna Launches An Appeal In Her Malawian Adoption Case
Earlier today we learned the Malawian court has denied Madonna’s bid to adopt Chifundo Mercy James by citing a residency requirement that insists that prospective parents of potential adoptees establish residency in Malawi for 18-24 months before they can be approved. This just in, the lawyer representing Madonna in her adoption bid has announced that he has filed an appeal with the Malawian court — by instruction of his client — in order to have the initial ruling overturned. Maddy is fighting on to adopt Mercy James:
Popstar Madonna has appealed a court ruling preventing her from adopting a second child from Malawi, her lawyer said on Friday. “I just filed the notice of appeal this afternoon on instructions from my client,” Alan Chinula told Reuters. A high court ruled earlier on Friday that Madonna would not be allowed to adopt a second child, a 4-year-old girl named Mercy James, from the country.
It remains to be seen what will come from Madonna’s appeal to overturn the ruling but, as I’ve said all along, Madonna usually gets what Madonna wants. If we know anything about Madonna it’s that she is deffo a fighter and she rarely takes no for an answer. Will Maddy be successful in her bid to become Mercy James’s mother? We shall soon see.
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Tags: Chifundo 'Mercy' James Ciccone, Madonna
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April 3rd, 2009 at 11:04 am
She really needs to give it up. She can’t always get what she wants.
First she stole David from his father, now she trying to take poor Mercy away from her grandmother who wants to raise her. Just because you have $ doesn’t mean your poop don’t stink. Mercy’s grandmother can give her better life w/her own family.
Why don’t you try raising the kids you all ready have.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:08 am
@alisaj29 — C’mon, I think it’s really unfair to say she stole or is trying to steal children. These children live in orphanages because their relatives cannot care for them. Whether or not you hate Madonna, a little restraint concerning these adoptions is prolly the better way to go.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
uhm about Mercy’s grandmother…. How old is this woman, is she well? and does she have the means to provide for the toddler? If she can care for the young girl then why is she stuck in an orphanage???
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 am
Trent I agree. I think it was reported that David Banda would have died had he not been adopted by Madonna. She is not stealing these children she is giving them the opportunity for a new life which they would NEVER have been able to have. An education so many opportunities. I hope that in this case that Madonna gets her….
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:16 am
The rumors I’ve heard is that the grandmother has been raising her, and in my humble opinion she did steal David away from her father. She knew he exsisted and wanted to raise him and she didn’t seem to care.
I never see her w/Lordes or Roco, BUT since I don’t seek out Madonna news, I may be wrong. I don’t thinks she bad mother or person, I just think that she already has children David included that she should focus her attention on.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:18 am
I believe I read at the time she first adopted David, that she offered to give his father money so he could raise David, once she found out he had living relatives. And from what I remember, he turned her offer down, I guess b/c it would still be too difficult to raise the boy since his wife was deceased.
On the one hand, I want Madonna to have to abide by the same adoption laws as everyone else. But on the other, it seems like Madonna and her 3 children have already formed such an attachment to Mercy, and her to them, that it would be cruel not to let it go through. Why couldn’t they have been firm about that law before they let Madonna and Mercy spend so much time together!? What a sad situation with an innocent little girl caught in the middle. :(
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 am
jj, I could be wrong but I think it was Zahara Jolie-Pitt who reportedly would have died if she hadn’t been been adopted by Angelina. Regardless, I’m sure David is much better off living w/ a family rather than still being in the orphanage.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 am
Madonna can adopt me anytime!
The fact is – she’s giving these kids an amazing opportunity that most (especially in poverty stricken countries) would never have. I think she should be commended for all her work she’s done in Malawi.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:40 am
To be uprooted from her community and placed on the world stage with a crazily famous mother would be more detrimental to the child than if Madonna and other filthy rich people would keep contributing time and money to these impoverished places around the world. Plucking one child at a time is not enough.
All the money in the world can’t protect Mercy from having an unhealthy upbringing (which, Madonna, as we all know, would merely pay for and not really nurture herself – nannies, assistants, etc.).
Madonna might mean well, but it sends the wrong message.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
I totally agree with Freddy’s comments. Madonna should abide by Malawi’s laws for adoption, and her swift adoption is not sending an appropriate message. I know of families that waited months upon months for their adoption decisions and Madonna should not be an exception. Personally, I don’t think emotionally and mentally her living conditions are best suited for another child right now.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Madonna has been working with the Malawian government for two years to try and get this adoption sorted out. I just find it very funny that some people think that being in an orphanage is better than living with a family???? I’m pretty sure if most looked at the statistics or simply asked children would they have preffered to have lived with a family rather than in an orphnage the answer would have been yes. Freddy I don’t think your comments of an “un healthy” upbringing are fair. When was the last time you were inside of Madonna’s house to know that?? Does David Banda Rocco or her daughter look like a distressed uncared for child to you??
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Personally, I think it will be fascinating to hear people’s reactions in twenty years should any of these high profile kiddies deliver less than flattering personal opinions of their parents and upbringing. LOL, Joan Crawford was aces until Mommy Dearest hit the shelves.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Kittycatastrophe, I totally agree. Can’t WAIT for the Mommy Dearest books that come out of this generation of celebrities!!
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm
@alisaj–To suggest that Madonna is going around stealing kids is plain stupid on your part. Read ANY news article regarding this. If David was being properly cared for by his father and Mercy was being taken care of by her grandmother, NEITHER OF THEM WOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ORPHANAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE!! The only thing I’m against in all of this is that I don’t believe Madonna or any celebrity should be able to push to the front of the line. However, it seems to me that people are unfairly judging Madonna on what kind of mother she is based ONLY the kinds of things she did as a performer in her past. “She did the Sex book 15 years ago, so she must be a bad parent.” If every parent was judged by what they did in their past, NOBODY would have children. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again–There is a huge difference between an conjured up image in a magazine and reality.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
@Aaron – 1. Don’t call me stupid, you don’t know me from a hole in the wall.
2. I’m entitled to my opinion, just as much as you’re entitled to ours, and that doesn’t make my opinions invalid or stupid.
And I never judged her on her past, I’m giving my opinioin on the information I see and hear now. Everyone has things that other’s would judge “wrong”, but I could care less. However, I think she should spend her time w/the children she has now and focus her atten on them.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:50 pm
@alisaj–All I’m sayin’ is that if Mercy’s grandmother wanted to raise her, don’t you think she’d be doing it by now? You think she’s at an orphanage for the fun of it? If David’s father was able to raise him, why was he at an orphanage when Madonna first met him? You certainly are entitled to your opinion, but don’t you think these are pretty logical questions to ask yourself before throwing out the assumption that Madonna is running around Africa stealing kids? I’m just reading what you said… “First she stole David from his father, now she trying to take poor Mercy away from her grandmother who wants to raise her.”….Now don’t you think you got it wrong??
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I think the most telling parts of the story were:
1. She did not go to Malawai to meet and choose a child, she sent an assistant to go pick one for her, like it’s an outfit.
2. She could not be bothered to go to the hearing herself- I’m sorry, but if you care about this child, it seems that the most important place to be would be the court hearing to decide the adoption.
Children are not toys or collectible items to trot out for publicity!
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:31 pm
screw Vadge.
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Unless Madge can fully commit to raising both David and Mercy with full knowledge of their culture and history, I’m not so sure she should be allowed to adopt. I think that’s the point the government is trying to prove here.
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Yeah, but really…..this is a pretty stupid stunt for them to be pulling right now. She’s already adopted a child from their country and didn’t have to fulfill those requirements, so why are they trying to impose them now? And for all of those out there commenting about her parenting skills, do you have kids? Or direct access into her life? I think it’s pretty telling that we never see any stories of her kids acting out and doing crazy things like other celebrity children. Granted, they are still young but definitely old enough to cause a scene if they wanted to.
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Lindsay & Aaron well said. If these children had families who were able to take care of them, we wouldn’t even be discussing this.
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:31 pm
who knows if its been brought up already( probably has) but the main point EVERYONE should think about is
is living with paps constantly photographing you and crreeeeeeeping around your home all that better? I think its a different kind of sad living situation.
also, remember that children are raised differently in other countries so just because they cant afford pampers and pack and plays doesnt mean they can’t afford which is need to survive. I’d like to know more about the grandmother and less about mommie dearest to be honest
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:02 pm
I figured that Madonna would be denied considering the issues she had with David’s adoption. It really is too bad considering the opportunity that a child in her family could have.
Despite what anyone may think about Madonna and , her children seemed well loved and cared for, it is a shame that as of right now Mercy has been denied that. Even with the papparazzi in their lives it would still beat living in an orphanage. I wish there was more resources and money available to myself when I was growing up. I guess adopting from Malawi isn’t really an option for the regular folk since there is that residency rule.
April 4th, 2009 at 5:15 am
lo0l I can totally picture vadge going batshut crazy after she heard the news. Like “EWHAT DONT THEY FUCKING KNOW WHO I AM???!!!! IM THE QUEEN OF POP IM ABOVE THE LAW!!! LAWYER YOU GO TELL HIM!”