Man learns courts secretly changed his name

[RockaFowler]

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/double-identity%3A-man-learns-courts-secretly-changed-his-name

Because of Florida's True ID law, unlike his renewals in past years, he was required to bring a certified birth certificate, among other things, to prove his identity.

When he called to obtain the certificate from Tennessee, where he was born, he was told that there was a very big problem: his name is not Charles Lust.

His real name, he was told, is Charles Bell.

SNIP

Charles learned because of the name change his original birth certificate is under seal and a new birth certificate was never issued after the name change.

Now, he can't prove who he is: Charles Lust or Charles Bell.

"It pretty much gives me two identities," he says.

Two identites could mean a lot of trouble.

Charles says, "Thats committing fraud basically...What happens to my Social Security? What happens to my tax records? I mean can government come after me? I'm pretty scared about this...I'm at a standstill. I can't get a driver's license, my banking probably can get screwed up, I could lose my job."

And, it means Jeremiah and Zachary Lust are also living under false names.

Their mother, and Charles' fiance, Nicole Hamilton says, "It's devastating because of this we found out our childrens names are illegal basically because their birth certificates are now fraudulant...It's completely stopped our life 100 percent."

[ejpoeta]

1. how does the government have the right to change a person's damned name on them.

[whistler162]

3. Odd's are he was adopted at or near birth and the

adoptive parents had it done.

[WolverineDG]

2. The children's names are not "illegal" nor are their birth certificates "fraudulent"

unless he was using both names in an attempt defraud someone or avoid criminal prosecution, I don't think he's liable for any charges either. What he should do is file for change of name for an adult, then argue to the judge as to why his name should be "changed" to the one he has been using all along. May take a month or so, but it can be cleared up.

This crap happens all the time, especially when hospital employees working in labor & delivery tell parents what names they can (or can't) give their child. I had one case where whoever gave my client the paperwork said it was "against the law" for her to name her own husband as the father & give her child his last name simply because the husband (a trucker) was not present when the child was born. :wtf:

dg

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. Father needs to be present at birth?

I can understand the need to be present at conception, with exceptions for medical procedures involving liquid nitrogen.

But at the birth? Lots of new fathers are elsewhere, and their last names are used for the kid. Many in Iraq or Afghanistan (or other, less volatile postings).

[WolverineDG]

9. It's called "making shit up as I go along & don't you dare contradict me

because I won't give you a birth certificate for your kid." I've heard all kinds of wild shit that gets pulled on new moms by control freaks at the hospital.

dg

[SmileyRose]

4. This doesn't even make sense to me.

People change legal names all the time due to marriage, adoption, a whim.... it does not invalidate a birth certificate.

It's clear the Shelby county government is full of idiots. Give the man his birth certificate. Give the man proof his name was changed when he was 14. Run paperwork through the judge again making his birth name his legal name again retroactive to the date of when it was done at 14.

It isn't rocket science.

[Demeter]

5. Sounds like a shakedown scheme

[SmileyRose]

6. Yep, lawyers are the only winners every time.

Eventually the guy will get what he needs. Instead of some civil servant just doing their job well, the poor guy will have to hire a lawyer, who will due the county. The county will have to hire it's lawyer. The 2 lawyers will get rich. Yeehaa.

[WolverineDG]

10. Actually, legally changing your name is one of the few things you can do yourself

As for attorneys "getting rich" off of change of name cases, are you fucking kidding me?

dg

[Ikonoklast]

7. Some people just neeed to talk to an attorney before anything else.

As noted above, this ain't rocket surgery, and can be cleared up by following the proper legal channels.

[madokie]

11. Heres what happened to me once when I went to renew my drivers license

I have no middle name so the lady put one in there. I made her tear the license up and redo it but she kept saying its no big deal and I kept saying it is a big deal. I have no middle name and fought the navy on that and I'm not going to let you give me a middle name now. Anyway she finally redone the license with my correct name. The navy told me I had to have a middle name and to pick one and I said I was given the name I have by my parents and you are not going to make me change that, plus I like the fact I only have two names. So to make everyone happy all my Navy records have (nmn) in parenthesis between the first and last names.
My grandfather let the army change the spelling of his name and later when he found out they said it would be easier for him to change the spelling than it would for them to change their records, this happened during the civil war. My grandfather couldn't read nor write.
so I guess I came about my poor writing skills honestly. :-)