Jack was a manipulative business man with commitment issues, who sought his father's approval by proposing to naive little Patty Williams. And much like Alan, Jack had an adversarial relationship with his sister Ashley, eventually blackmailing her out of the presidency of Jabot. (although I'm not sure if that was Lester or Peter Bergman, tbh.) No, the Abbotts weren't cannibalistic like the Spauldings, but there are times you wonder if John's parenting was all that great. All his kids were messed up.
If she formally terminated her parental rights, the SOD recaps don't mention it, from what I can see. In '86, when Claire is fighting them for custody, she tries blackmailing Rick into siding with her. He witnesses her threatening baby Michelle, and everyone thinks she's having a breakdown. All the recap says is that Claire gives Michelle to the Bauers. (There's more crazy from Claire during the year, she's trying to manipulate Kyle into an affair, and she ends up getting thrown off a bridge by Reva's stalker, resulting in a coma and brain damage. She marries and leaves town with the doctor who treats her at the end of the year. The recap makes no mention of her making other legal arrangements for Michelle.)
Ed and Mo break up in early '89, after Fletch is rescued from the island after crashing in the plane with Alex. Unless more from '86 surfaces, it'll be a mystery if Mo was even in a position to formally adopt Michelle.
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P.J. ·
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