Contempt charges dropped in Baby Veronica case

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – A South Carolina judge has dismissed contempt of court charges filed against the biological father of a young girl caught up in a custody dispute.

The Tulsa World reports the contempt case was dropped on Jan. 16 after Dusten Brown and the Cherokee Nation reached an agreement with Matt and Melanie Capobianco, who are the adoptive parents of 4-year-old Veronica.

Brown faced contempt charges after initially refusing to comply with a judge’s order to return Veronica to the Capobiancos. In 2013, Brown gave Veronica to the couple after Oklahoma’s Supreme Court lifted an order keeping her in the state.

The Capobiancos are seeking more than $1 million in legal fees and expenses from Brown and the CN, of which Brown is a citizen. That case remains pending in Oklahoma court.