Mo. Rev. Stat. » Chapter 453
Missouri Revised Statutes

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 453.090 (2026)

Consequences of adoption

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section MO-REVrevisor.mo.gov Justiaon Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

  453.090.  Consequences of adoption — child defined. — 1.  When a child is adopted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, all legal relationships and all rights and duties between such child and his natural parents (other than a natural parent who joins in the petition for adoption as provided in section 453.010) shall cease and determine.  Such child shall thereafter be deemed and held to be for every purpose the child of his parent or parents by adoption, as fully as though born to him or them in lawful wedlock.

  2.  Such child shall be capable of inheriting from, and as the child of, his parent or parents by adoption as fully as though born to him or them in lawful wedlock and, if a minor, shall be entitled to proper support, nurture and care from his parent or parents by adoption.

  3.  The parent or parents by adoption shall be capable of inheriting from and as the parent or parents of their adopted child as fully as though such child had been born to him or them in lawful wedlock, and, if such child is a minor, shall be entitled to the services, wages, control and custody of such adopted child.

  4.  The adopted child shall be capable of inheriting from and taking through his parent or parents by adoption property limited expressly to heirs of the body of such parent or parents by adoption.

  5.  The word "child" as used in this section, shall, unless the context hereof otherwise requires, be construed to mean either a person under or over the age of eighteen years.

­­--------

(RSMo 1939 § 9614, A.L. 1947 V. II p. 213, A.L. 1982 H.B. 1171, et al.)

Prior revisions: 1929 § 14079; 1919 § 1101

(1953) Children of daughter of testatrix who were adopted by other persons held not entitled to inherit from grandparent through natural mother and therefore could not be held pretermitted heirs. Miss. Valley Trust Co. v. Palms, 360 Mo.  610, 229 S.W.2d 675, distinguished on ground it involved construction of will and contrary statement held obiter. In re Furnish's Will, 363 Mo. 932, 254 S.W.2d 645.

(1955) Will construed and words "descendants of a deceased child" of testator held to include an adopted child of testator's deceased son. Hayes v. St. Louis Union Trust Co. (Mo.), 280 S.W.2d 649.

(1956) Descendant of child who was adopted by mother of deceased after her divorce from father of deceased held entitled to inherit from deceased as nephew of half-blood. Vreeland v. Vreeland (Mo.), 296 S.W.2d 55.

(1958) Daughter adopted by testator's daughter in 1909 held to be entitled to share in distribution of remainder of trust estate to "lineal descendants" of testator under will executed in 1927 and where remainder vested in 1955 and such ruling did not render acts passed subsequent to testator's death and prior to vesting of remainder which qualified adopted daughter as lineal descendant violative of §§ 10 and 13 of Art. I of the Constitution. Commerce Trust Co. v. Weed (Mo.), 318 S.W.2d 289.

(1975) Where child was adopted by mother's second husband the child was removed from the blood stream of his natural father was not entitled to take under a trust instrument providing for "natural or adoptive children" of the natural father.  Commerce Trust Company v. Duden (A.), 523 S.W.2d 97.

(1977) Held, adoption does not prevent adopted child from being "heir of the body" for the purpose of taking the fee on the death of his natural parent who was a tenant in tail. See also dissent. Morris v. Ulbright (Mo.), 558 S.W.2d 660.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 30 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1953–2025 · leading case: Morris v. Ulbright, 558 S.W.2d 660 (Mo. 1977).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Morris v. Ulbright, 558 S.W.2d 660 (Mo. 1977). · cites it 30× “Defendants contend, however, that because of the provisions of Section 453.090, RSMo 1969, the adoption of plaintiff on October 4, 1950, "acted to remove the Plaintiff from the bloodstream of his natural father Logan Mitchell Ulbright and with no exception ceased and determined…”
Com. Bank, N.A. v. Blasdel, 141 S.W.3d 434 (Mo. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 4× “The following year, § 9614 was codified as § 453.090, RSMo 1949. With the exception of a few minor changes made in 1982, the version of § 9614 enacted in 1948 currently appears as § 453.”
Allen v. Martin, 400 S.W.3d 881 (Mo. Ct. App. 2013). · cites it 14× “” Section 453.090, which sets out the legal consequences of adoption, contains a much broader definition of “child,” as it states that “[t]he word ‘child’ as used in this section, shall, unless the context hereof otherwise requires, be construed to mean either a person under or…”
White v. Mulvania, 575 S.W.2d 184 (Mo. 1978). · cites it 4× “The Missouri statute, § 453.090, RSMo 1969 states that "When a child is adopted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, all legal relationships and all rights and duties between such child and his natural parents .”
In Re The Matter Of: J.D.S. N/K/A J.G.S. Mickie & Michael Smith v. Amy Duesenberg, 482 S.W.3d 431 (Mo. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 4× “]” Section 453.090. Accordingly, in an adoption proceeding, unlike in a proceeding awarding custody to a parent or a third;.”
Application of Maples, 563 S.W.2d 760 (Mo. 1978). · cites it 4× “Such is not discriminatory treatment under the law, instead the state provides a system for the protection of neglected or abandoned children, as well as those given voluntarily for adoption. In developing the system, the legislature perceived a need for confidentiality of the…”
In re Brockmire, 424 S.W.3d 445 (Mo. 2014). · cites it 5× “Adoptions are governed by chapter 453, and section 453.090 describes, in part, the general consequences of an adoption: 1.”
Com. Trust Co. v. Duden, 523 S.W.2d 97 (Mo. Ct. App. 1975). · cites it 8× “Be that as it may, starting in 1917 and culminating in 1947 (the latter being the date Section 453.090, RSMo 1969, V.A.M.S., 3 captioned “Consequences of adoption”, was last amended) a clearly discernible statutory evolution occurred in this state appertaining to the consequence…”
Wailes v. Curators of Cent. Coll., 254 S.W.2d 645 (Mo. 1953). · cites it 6× “The answer to the question whether an adopted person may inherit from his natural parent lies in the interpretation of Section 453.090 of Chapter 453, supra. The section reads as follows: ‘ ‘ Consequences of Adoption.”
In the Matter of the Adoption of E.n.c., Minor, 458 S.W.3d 387 (Mo. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 2× “]” Section 453.090. Accordingly, in an adoption proceeding, unlike in a *404 proceeding awarding custody to a parent or a third party, the legal rights of a natural parent are completely abrogated.”
Hutton v. French, 231 S.W.3d 826 (Mo. Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “]” Section 453.090. Accordingly, in an adoption proceeding, unlike in a proceeding awarding custody to a parent or a third party, the legal lights of a natural parent are completely abrogated.”
Com. Trust Co. v. Weed, 318 S.W.2d 289 (Mo. 1958). · cites it 2× “In 1947 the legislature removed the last vestige of distinction between the inheritance rights of an adopted child and one born in lawful wedlock when it removed the proviso from what was originally Section 1677 of the 1917 Act and re-enacted the section, now Section 453.090,…”
Show all 30 citing cases →
— Mo. Rev. Stat. § 453.090(1) — 1 case
Morris v. Ulbright, 558 S.W.2d 660 (Mo. 1977). “Defendants contend, however, that because of the provisions of Section 453.090, RSMo 1969, the adoption of plaintiff on October 4, 1950, "acted to remove the Plaintiff from the bloodstream of his natural father Logan Mitchell Ulbright and with no exception ceased and determined…”
— Mo. Rev. Stat. § 453.090(4) — 1 case
Morris v. Ulbright, 558 S.W.2d 660 (Mo. 1977). “Defendants contend, however, that because of the provisions of Section 453.090, RSMo 1969, the adoption of plaintiff on October 4, 1950, "acted to remove the Plaintiff from the bloodstream of his natural father Logan Mitchell Ulbright and with no exception ceased and determined…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.