It appears Sherri Shepherd didn’t begin 2016 with a bang. In fact, “The View” alum is facing more legal woes. In case you missed it, in April, a judge ruled that the 48-year-old is the legal mother of she and her ex-husband Lamar ‘Sal’ Sally’s baby, Lamar Sally Jr., who was born via surrogate. And although Shepherd was all for the idea just a year ago, it all went south when the celebrity couple decided to part ways.
Now, the “30 Rock“ alum is asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reverse the decision made by the Superior Court, arguing that the court that dished out the ruling didn’t have a right to declare her the mother. Outlined in her petition, Shepherd points out that Pennsylvania law requires parentage to be established by “genetics/biology or by adoption,” reports E! News.
“The lower court usurped the power of the Pennsylvania legislature by finding this contract enforceable,” the petition continued. Unfortunately for the comedian and author, she’ll have to wait about three months before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decides to hear her case. On top of being named on the child’s birth certificate, Shepherd was ordered to pay expenses incurred by the “embryo carrier.” We imagine she’ll want all of this overturned.
Sally on the other hand doesn’t appear to be bothered. “Justice was served,” Sally’s attorney, Tiffany Palmer, initially told E! News following the decision. “The court found that the baby has two legal parents and those people are the two people who conceived him, Lamar Sally and Sherri Shepherd.”
“The court upheld what we believe is and should be the law in Pennsylvania,” Palmer continued. “If you set out to conceive a child through assisted reproduction and enter into contracts to do so, you cannot just walk away from your legal parental responsibility because you changed your mind.”
Sally and Shepherd separated on April 16, 2014. At that time, Sally requested custody of the (unborn) baby, who would arrive on July 28, 2014. They divorced in January 2015, after three years of marriage. What a dilemma.
