English courts hear first "wrongful adoption case". (Children & Families).

LONDON -- The first case of negligence for "wrongful adoption" was launched in the English courts in by a couple who claim they were unwittingly allowed to adopt a "wild child".

The boy's adoptive parents are suing the Essex county council for negligence in failing to disclose reports indicating that the boy was "uncontrollable and vicious" when they adopted him in 1996 at the age of five. As well, the boy's behaviour was also characterized as being "beyond the wildest imagination" of inexperienced adopters.

The couple are seeking damages for personal injuries mainly for depression, loss of earnings caused by the boy's constant need for supervision, for losses from having to move houses due to being ostracized and to financial pressures and the cost of damage to their home caused by the boy that was deemed wilful by the insurance company.

In its defence, the county argued that some adoptions will inevitably break down without anyone's fault. As well, it not only denies the couple suffered any psychiatric injury but also suggests that to impose a duty of care could deter adoption agencies from making placements and could make the process unduly bureaucratized.

Among the incidents recounted to the judge, was the boy's several threats to kill his adoptive mother's unborn child and his subsequent attack of her during a Greek holiday, which resulted in a hospital stay. As well, the child regularly damaged the couple's home by, among other things, tipping gloss paint over carpets, walls and a bed.

The boy, who is now 12 and in a home, was later diagnosed as suffering from attention deficit hyperactive disorder and a personality disorder. As well, it was noted that the boy