NATION IN BRIEF : VERMONT : Adoption Battle Over 9-Month-Old Settled

A 9-month-old baby caught in an emotional adoption battle will stay with the couple who have raised him since birth, and his biological father will have broad visitation rights. “Nobody lost. The baby won,” said Richard McDurfee, whose wife, Donna, won the right to adopt the child. To the cheers of family and friends of both parties, Family Court Judge Edward Cashman approved a settlement agreement in the case after two days of testimony in Middlebury, Vt. It recognizes Daniel Harriman as the child’s biological father, but also approves the adoption of the child by Donna McDurfee. The order stipulates that the baby will be named Peter Elliot Harriman McDurfee. The agreement gives Harriman the rights he claimed he was denied when the baby was given up for adoption. In effect, he shares custody with Mrs. McDurfee.