[newlyorphaned]

I petitioned the court in California twice. The first time I used medical reasons and got zilch! They gave me the same quote that was contained in my non-identifiying information which I already had!

In the second petition I got huffy and just spilled all the family history I had found, allegations of incest, etc. And asked the judge if the truth could be worse than the speculation and to please give my family peace. That worked! Unfortunatly the Department of Social Services didn't care and blaced out the names anyway.

My experience suggests being sraight and blunt worked best. My suggestion is if they turn you down you turn right around and re-petition as many times as it takes. Getting over the fear of petitioning and being rejected was the biggest hurdle for me. Best of luck to all!